white arsenic
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun: 1. A poisonous white powder: A common name for arsenic trioxide (As₂O₃), a highly toxic, white, odorless powder historically and commercially used as a poison, pesticide, and in some industrial processes.
Usage and Examples
- As a substance: The term is used to refer to the physical compound itself.
- The old warehouse was found to contain barrels of white arsenic.
- Historically, white arsenic was infamously used as an undetectable poison.
- In historical/industrial context: It is often mentioned in contexts relating to its past uses.
- Before modern regulations, white arsenic was a common ingredient in rat poisons and weed killers.
Advanced Usage
- Figurative use for extreme toxicity: While less common, the term can be used metaphorically to describe something profoundly corrupting or poisonous in a non-literal sense.
- The propaganda was a kind of white arsenic for the public mind.
Variants and Related Words
- Arsenic trioxide: The precise chemical name for the compound.
- Arsenic (As): The elemental form. "White arsenic" is a compound containing arsenic.
- Arsenous oxide: Another technical name for the same compound.
Synonyms
- Arsenic trioxide
- Arsenous oxide
- (Historical/contextual) Ratsbane
Notes on Meaning
The term specifically denotes the trioxide compound (As₂O₃), not elemental arsenic. Its defining characteristics are its white color, powdered form, and high toxicity. Its primary associations are with poison, danger, and historical uses in pest control.
Noun
- a white powdered poisonous trioxide of arsenic; used in manufacturing glass and as a pesticide (rat poison) and weed killer