(L. arsenicum, Gr. arsenikon: yellow orpiment, identified with arenikos: male, from the belief that metals were different sexes; Arabic, Az-zernikh, the orpiment from Persian zerni-zar, gold) Elemental arsenic occurs in two solid modifications: yellow, and gray or metallic, with specific gravities of 1.97, and 5.73, respectively. It is believed that Albertus Magnus obtained the element in 1250 A.D. In 1649 Schroeder published two methods of preparing the element. Mispickel arsenopyrite, (FeSAs), is the most common mineral from which, on heating, the arsenic sublimes leaving ferrous sulfide. A Periodic Table of the Elements at Los Alamos National Laboratory
