← Back to context

Comment by allwein

9 years ago

So is arsenic.

I didn't know that elemental Arsenic (As) was made of chains of elemental carbons (C)...

The more you know??

  • Incorrect.

    Arsenic is an element. Elemental arsenic, as with elemental carbon, or hydrogen, or any other element, is made of protons, neutrons, and electrons.

    Its chemical properties are defined largely by its valence electrons, and atomic mass.

    There is no more carbon in arsenic than there is sound in light. They are different things.

    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arsenic

    • Your parent poster was well aware of that, and also assumed his parent was aware of that as well. His post was a subtle version of "arsenic can't be 'organic' because cannot be composed of carbon chains because it is an element which is not carbon."

      The advantage of his version (especially in spoken conversation) is that you can tell someone they are wrong, and typically if they have such a gross misunderstanding, it will go completely over their heads, and they won't realize that you are telling them they are wrong.

      3 replies →