Physicochemical aspects of the preparation of high-purity arsenic-containing substances from various raw materials

Abstract

We have developed physicochemical principles of the preparation of high-purity arsenic-containing substances from conventional (As₂S₃, As₄S₄, and FeAsS sulfide ores) and unconventional raw materials (chemical warfare (lewisite) detoxification products, semiconductor fabrication waste, and nonferrous metals industry waste). We have identified and investigated transformations of chemical forms of impurities in the recovery, synthesis, and ultrapurification of arsenic-containing compounds. The observed fundamental aspects of the behavior of impurities, with allowance for the origin of the raw materials to be processed, were taken as a basis for designing combined, environmentally friendly processing schemes for the preparation of high-purity arsenic and arsenic compounds (AsCl₃ and AsH₃).