Some aspects of the solid state physics of yellow arsenic

ChemInform Abstract: Some Aspects of the Solid State Physics of Yellow Arsenic

Spectroscopic studies of molecular arsenic

Formation of As8 dimers in molecular solid-state arsenic

Abstract Molecular yellow arsenic (y-As) consists of tetrahedral As 4 molecules that may be packed in various ways. All y-As modifications, both disordered and crystalline, are metastable and undergo irreversible transitions (polymerization) under action of heat and light, which cause a change in the nature of bonding in the molecules. Polymerization of y-As leads to the formation of amorphous arsenic (a-As) possessing a continuous random network structure. DTA studies show that polymerization is an activated exothermic process. The value of its enthalpy agrees satisfactorily with an estimate of the excess energy of strained ‘banana-shaped’ bonds in an As 4 molecule. Quantum chemical calcul…