arsenite

American  

[ahr-suh-nahyt] / ˈɑr səˌnaɪt /

noun

Chemistry.

1. a salt or ester of arsenous acid.

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arsenite British  

/ ˈɑːsɪˌnaɪt /

noun

1. a salt or ester of arsenous acid, esp a salt containing the ion A 5 O 3 ^3–

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Etymology

Origin of arsenite

First recorded in 1790–1800; arsen- + -ite ¹

Example Sentences

Arsenic compounds are still liberally used, both as insecticides and as weed killers, where they usually take the chemical form of sodium arsenite.

From The New Yorker • Jan. 3, 2017

And the traditional methods of growing rice, which often involve flooding a field, encourage formation of a soluble arsenic compound, arsenite, that is readily transported by the rice plant.

From New York Times • Apr. 18, 2014

Put that wallpaper in a damp environment, and a toxic mold will form, which converts the copper arsenite pigment into a poisonous vapor.

From Scientific American • Nov. 19, 2012

One of the earliest pesticides associated with cancer is arsenic, occurring in sodium arsenite as a weed killer, and in calcium arsenate and various other compounds as insecticides.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

While the results of weed killers such as sodium arsenite or the phenols are grossly obvious, some other herbicides are more insidious in their effects.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson