Depilatories are applications used to remove the hair from the body, especially the face and scalp, without injuring the texture of the skin. The famous rusma depilatory of history consisted of quicklime (calcium oxide) and orpiment (tersulphuret of arsenic) boiled in water impregnated with a strong alkaline lye. This mixture was rubbed gently on the parts, which were afterwards washed in warm water. Research Depilatories
Arsenic is a trivalent and pentavalent, solid, poisonous common element usually found combined with metals as arsenides, the commonest of which is arsenical pyrites, FeAsS. It has a steel colour and high metallic lustre, and tarnishes on exposure to the air, first changing to yellow, and finally to black. In hardness it equals copper; it is extremely brittle, and very volatile, beginning to sublime before it melts. It burns with a blue flame, and emits a smell of garlic. Its specific gravity is 5.76. It forms compounds with most of the metals. Combined with sulphur it forms or-piment and realgar, which are the yellow and red sulphides of arsenic. Orpiment is the true arsenicum of the ancients. With oxygen arsenic forms two compounds, the more important of which is arsenious oxides or arsenic trioxide (As40e), which is the white arsenic, or simply arsenic of the shops. It is usually seen in white, glassy, translucent masses, and is obtained by sublimation from several ores containing arsenic in combination with metals, particularly from arsenical pyrites.
Of all substances arsenic is that which has most frequently occasioned death by poisoning, both by accident and design. The best remedies against the effects of arsenic on the stomach are ferric hydroxide or magnesic hydroxide, or a mixture of both, with copious draughts of bland liquids of a mucilaginous consistence, which serve to procure its complete ejection from the stomach. Oils and fats generally, milk, albumen, wheat-flour, oatmeal, sugar or syrup, have all proved useful in counteracting its effect. Like many other virulent poisons it has been described as a safe and useful medicine, especially in skin diseases, when judiciously employed. Arsenic was also employed by men during the Victorian era to enhance sexual prowess However, arsenic is also addictive and the body becomes dependent upon it, not receiving enough when dependant can cause heart failure.
Arsenic is used as a flux for glass, and also for forming pigments. The arsenite of copper (Scheele's green) and a double arsenite and acetate of copper (emerald green) were formerly largely used to colour paper-hangings for rooms, but as poisonous gases are liable to be given off, the practice was abandoned. Arsenic compounds have in the past been used for colouring confectionery, and other articles, bright green. It is found in crude oil of vitriol, and occasionally in the past in products such as grape-sugar, beer, etc, in the manufacture of which oil of vitriol was employed. Arsenic tablets were formerly worn as protection against the plague. Research Arsenic
Orpiment is a secondary mineral with the formulae As2S3 and a relative hardness of 2. It is a rare mineral usually associated with realgar. Orpiment is an important source of industrial arsenic and is used in dyeing. Orpiment can be distinguished from sulphur by its perfect cleavage, and strong smell of garlic (arsenic) when heated. Research Orpiment
Sulphides refers to a mineral group where sulphur is combined with one or more metals. The sulphides form an important class of minerals that includes the majority of the ore minerals. With them are classed the similar but rarer sulpharsenides, arsenides, and tellurides. Most of the sulphide minerals are opaque with distinctive colours and characteristically coloured streaks. Those that are non-opaque, such as cinnabar, realgar, and orpiment, have high refractive indices and transmit light only on thin edges.
The general formula for the sulphides is given as XmZn, in which X represents the metallic elements and Z the non-metallic element. The general order of listing of the various minerals is in a decreasing ratio of X:Z. The sulphides can be divided into small groups of similar structures but it is difficult to make broad generalizations about their structure. Regular octahedral or tetrahedral coordination about sulphur is found in many simple sulphides such as in galena, PbS, (with an NaCI type structure), and in sphalerite, Zns. In more complex sulphides, as well as sulphosalts, distorted coordination polyhedra may be found. Many of the sulphides have ionic and covalent bonding, whereas others, displaying most of the properties of metals, have metallic bonding characteristics. Research Sulphides
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