Get To Know This Fun Facts About Arsenic

Fun facts about arsenic are so many like discussed bellow. Arsenic is a chemical element that is highly poisonous to humans. However, it happens to be involved in some pretty interesting things out there on Earth! Check out some of the most interesting it.

1) Arsenic forms minerals with copper, silver, gold and lead

The mineral arsenopyrite has four arsenic atoms for every five iron atoms. As arsenopyrite sits around over time, the energy of the environment changes some of those arsenic atoms into copper. This new mineral is called "arsenian pyrite" or mispickel . It's commonly found near mines where both kinds of metal are mined together. Sometimes large crystals of it are very clear and sparkle almost like glass- hence its name "angel hair".

2) Arsenic makes beautiful butterflies

This is another fun facts about arsenic. Many moths and butterflies have wings that are covered with tiny scales. These scales can be made of many different colors, including metallic colors like green or copper-colored iridescence. One family of butterfly is called "the peacock butterflies", because they have the brightest metallic green coloring that looks just like the feathers of a peacock's tail. It turns out that this color comes from brilliant emerald-green crystals made of arsenic! The scientists who discovered this said it was an accident at first- they were studying another family of butterfly where males had distinctive iridescent blue wings.

3) Arsenic makes humans strong!

Many people around the world eat rice every day for their entire lives. But there are some parts of Asia where rice is not eaten- instead they eat millet, buckwheat or maize (corn). The soils in these regions are also quite high in arsenic. Studies have shown that people who eat regular amounts of this arsenic actually have fewer children with birth defects! This doesn't mean you should start eating more rice if you don't normally- it will just poison your body and make it difficult to live long! These people are handling arsenic poisoning much better than other populations worldwide who don't have as much resistance to it.

4) Arsenic might be good for your lawn!

Ever seen a big field or lawn that was all dead and brown? This is called "grass tetany" and happens when the soil gets too low in some minerals. Sometimes the grass just doesn't grow back unless you put fertilizer down, but it can also happen due to arsenic poisoning! When plants are exposed to arsenic they tend to absorb more iron from the soil. Iron helps plants use water better during dry weather- so this means that grass poisoned with arsenic actually survives droughts much better than grass without arsenic.

5) Arsenic makes you look old!

Grey hair is caused by a protein called "melanin". This protein is made in special cells at the base of every hair follicle, where it's then transferred up through the hair as it grows. The melanin causes grey hairs to have their characteristic color- but it turns out that arsenic has a similar structure to the metals that are used to make this melanin! When people eat foods high in arsenic, some of that arsenic will end up in their hair... causing all their grey hairs to turn black again! Of course this doesn't actually undo the physical damage done by age... but it does mean they'll look younger than they really are.

6) Arsenic is a dangerous element!

Despite all the wonderful things arsenic can do, it's probably best to keep it away from yourself and your family. To start with, there's no good way to remove lots of arsenic from drinking water. Best case scenario you'll just end up poisoning yourself by removing half of it and not all of it. But if you do want to protect yourself from arsenic in water, check out our other article about distillation water filters .

7) Arsenic makes the world spin around! (well... almost)

One element that we don't talk much about on this blog is polonium. This radioactive element releases helium nuclei- which means each atom breaks apart into two little atoms of helium, plus some other stuff. This is what causes the "alpha" radiation that polonium releases- helium atoms at high speeds! When these helium nuclei hit other atoms they have a good chance of changing the nucleus enough to make it emit another particle or photon... this means that basically all alpha radiation consists of helium being fired at nuclei in your body, turning them into smaller atoms and giving off energy as it goes.

8) Arsenic kills more people than war!

This is another fun facts about arsenic. It's estimated that over 100 million people have died from arsenic poisoning since 1900. These deaths were caused by naturally occurring arsenic in groundwater used for drinking- often called "Arsenic Water Disease". But why are so many people dying? It turns out there are good amounts of arsenic made by bacteria living in the soil, which makes its way into the groundwater. And humans who drink this water often suffer from a wide range of illnesses- not just cancer, but also including things like cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Removing all that arsenic can be difficult too because it tends to build up over time...

9) Arsenic is surprisingly safe for kids!

In fact, if you have a choice between feeding your young child food with arsenic or food without arsenic- go with the arsenic! That might seem ridiculous at first glance, but there's actually a good reason for this claim. See, our bodies are full of both good and bad bacteria- and when we're exposed to chemicals these bacteria start either breaking it down or making it worse. However, when we're exposed to arsenic we have a hard time getting rid of it. This is because arsenic causes us to increase the number of good bacteria in our intestines- meaning the bad bacteria can't do as much damage.

10) Arsenic used to be considered an element!

It's an important part of red and yellow pigments, prevents greying hair, helps plants grow despite drought... sounds like an amazing magic potion right? Unfortunately however this makes arsenite very difficult for plants and animals alike to get rid of once they've taken it up into their system. And that means that arsenite has a tendency to build up over time in larger organisms- leading to disease or even death by poisoning .