Search Thermo Fisher Scientific
Primary XPS region: As3d
Overlapping regions: Ta5p1/2
Binding energies of common chemical states:
Chemical state | Binding energy As3p5/2 |
---|---|
GaAs | 40.8 eV |
As2O3 | 44.1 eV |
As3+ (GaAs native oxide) | 44.8 eV |
As5+ (GaAs native oxide) | 45.6 eV |
As2O3 charge referenced to C1s peak at 284.8eV. GaAs oxides charge referenced to GaAs at 40.8eV.
Experimental information
Interpretation of XPS spectra
About this element
Symbol: As
Date of discovery: ancient times
Name origin: Greek arsenikos; Latin arsenicum
Appearance: gray
Discoverer: unknown
Obtained from: mispickel
Melting point: 1090 K
Boiling point: 886 K
Density[kg/m3]: 5727
Molar volume: 12.95 × 10-6 m3/mol
Protons/Electrons: 33
Neutrons: 42
Shell structure: 2,8,18,5
Electron configuration: [Ar]3d104s24p3
Oxidation state: ±3,5
Crystal structure: rhombohedral
Arsenic, a poisonous metalloid, is characteristically very similar to phosphorus, so much so that the element can be partially substituted for it in biochemical reactions. Arsenic and some of its compounds convert to a gaseous form and can rapidly oxidize to arsenic oxide, subliming directly upon heating. During the Bronze Age, arsenic was used as an impurity in the bronze to make the alloy harder. In Victorian times, women used arsenic as a complexion enhancer for their face. Fatalities occur when the toxic arsenic is handled improperly. Serious human and animal poisonings have occurred in recent years due to ingestion of arsenic – either directly or indirectly – from wood treated with copper arsenate. The most serious risk occurs when the treated wood is burned.