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Re: inorganic vs organic arsenic

Title: Re: [GWL] inorganic vs organic arsenic
I'm going to interject here to stop this from going flame war on the list.  
   While an element may be toxic, the form in which it exists can make a big difference in how toxic it can be in the body.  For example, the calcium compound of many elements is more stable, and less poisonous, than, for instance, the sodium compound.  That's because sodium is more active chemically and is more likely to release the other element in the body to latch onto an element that makes a more stable compound.  So pure (inorganic) arsenic is more toxic because it "wants" to tie up to something else to make a more stable compound. If it's in the body, that means it will find something to attach to there.  Organic arsenic is simply tied up in compounds that are relatively stable compared to the pure element, and less likely to release free arsenic into the body.  That doesn't mean that such compounds are NOT toxic, only that in the body less of the toxic substance can get into the system than the pure element could.  
   Go read a basic organic chemistry book.
-Lon Rombough




> Duane, this is the sort of piffle the treated timber industry writes
> - there is a big difference between organic and inorganic arsenic.

Piffle? I write prffle? Well, I suppose that is better than "dripping
with venom," which was the recent complaint of an editor in another
venue.

Arsenic is an element. How can there be a difference between organic and
inorganic in an element? Is there a difference in the LD50 rating in
these different arsenics?

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