Arsenides

An arsenide is a compound of arsenic with less electronegative elements.Many metals form binary compounds containing arsenic, and these are called arsenides. Theyexsit with many stoichiometries and in this respect arsenides are similar to silicides, borides, phosphides, nitrides.

Arsenic is highly toxic element that is found with many minerals especially sulfur, and can be found naturally as a pure substance. Its main industrial use is as a strengthener in alloys with copper and lead. Arsenic is also in declining use in pesticides and herbicides.

A number of arsenide minerals are known, for example nickeline, NiAs, Skutterudite. The arsenides of the transition metals are mainly of the interest because they represent or contaminate sulfidic ores of commercial interest. The extraction of metals –nickel, iron, cobalt, copper entails chemical processes such as smelting that poses environmental risks.

Many arsenides of the group III elements are valuable semiconductors. Gallium arsenide (GaAs) features isolated arsenic centers with a zincblendestructure, and with predominantly covalent bonding - it is III–V semiconductor.

Many elements in group II and group III on the periodic table combine with arsenic to produce arsenide semiconductors. Gallium Arsenide is the most common of these, and it is utilized in manufacture of devices such as monolithic microwave integrated circuits, microwave frequency integrated circuits laser diodes, solar cells, LEDs, optical windows etc.