452 Principles of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology

Table 36.2: Showing inorganic compounds of

arsenic
Compound Common name Properties
Arsenious oxide Sankhya White crystalline
(Arsenic Somakhar powder
trioxide) White arsenic

Arsenic Manseel Red powder

disulphide Red arsenic
Arsenic Hartal Yellow powder
trisulphide Yellow arsenic (Fig. 36.4)
Orpiment
Sodium - White or grayish
arsenates powder
Potassium -
arsenates
Arsenic acid Arsenic White crystalline
pentoxide powder Fig. 36.4: Arsenic trisulphide (Courtesy: Dr Vaibhav
Arsenic
Sonar Lecturer, Forensic Medicine, GMS, Miraj)
anhydride
Arsenic - Colourless fuming
Sources
trichloride liquid
Arsenic triodide Arsenious Orange colour 1. Rocks and soil
iodide crystals (Fig. 36.5) 2. Hot spring mineral water
Arsine Arseniuretted Colourless and
hydrogen inflammable gas,
3. Drinking water
Arsenic Garlicky odour 4. Sea water
hydride 5. Vegetable, fruits and grains
Sodium arsenite - White powder 6. Sea food
Potassium - White powder 7. Industrial sources
arsenite
Copper arsenite Scheele’s Greenish crystalline Absorption, Excretion and Metabolism
(Fig. 36.6) green powder
Copper Paris green Greenish crystalline • Arsenic is absorbed through all routes viz. through skin,
acetoarsenite powder inhalation, and GIT mucosa. However, cutaneous absorp-
tion is low except in cases of damaged skin. The inor-
ganic pentavalent forms are absorbed at higher rate than
Organic compounds of arsenic are: bivalent forms.8
1. Cacodylic acid • The absorbed inorganic arsenic undergoes methylation
2. Sodium cacodylate mainly in liver to monomethylarsonic acid and dimethy-
3. Atoxyl larsinic acid and excreted in urine.9
• After absorption, arsenic is redistributed to the liver,
Toxicology

4. Stovarsol
lungs, intestinal wall, spleen, and kidneys. It has mini-
Uses mal penetration in blood-brain-barrier.
1. Rodenticide
B 2. Weed killer
Mechanism of Action
• Arsenic reversibly combines with sulphydrl enzymes. It
Section 

3. In alloys
4. Depletory blocks Krebs cycle and interrupts oxidative phosphoryla-
5. Coloring agent tion causing depletion of ATP and death of cell.