arsenic trioxide arsenic trioxide arsenic trioxide, sold under the brand name trisenox among others, is an inorganic compound with the formula as2o3. as an industrial chemical, its major uses include the manufacture of wood preservatives, pesticides, and glass. it is also used as a medication to treat a type of cancer known as acute promyelocytic leukemia. for this use it is given by injection into a vein. arsenic trioxidearsenic trioxide as oclinical datapronunciationar se nik tri oks id trade namestrisenox, othersother namesarsenic(iii) oxide,arsenic sesquioxide,arseneous oxide,ratsbane,arseneous anhydride,white arsenic,aqua tofaniahfs/drugs.commonographmedlineplusa608017license data eu ema: by inn us dailymed: arsenic_trioxide pregnancycategory au: x (high risk) routes ofadministrationintravenousdrug classantineoplastic agentatc codel01xx27 (who) legal statuslegal status au: s4 (prescription only) us: ℞-only eu: rx-only pharmacokinetic dataprotein binding75%excretionurineidentifiers iupac name diarsenic trioxide cas number1327-53-3 ypubchem cid261004drugbankdb01169chemspider452539uniis7v92p67hokeggc13619d02106chemblchembl1200978comptox dashboard (epa)dtxsid0020103 echa infocard100.014.075 chemical and physical dataformulaas2o3molar mass197.840 g·mol−13d model (jsmol)interactive imagedensity3.74 g/cm3melting point312.2 °c (594.0 °f)boiling point465 °c (869 °f)solubility in water20 g/l (25 °c) (see text) smiles o13o2o(o3)o1o2 inchi inchi=1s/as2o3/c3-1-4-2(3)5-1 ykey:golcxwyrskytsp-uhfffaoysa-n arsenic trioxide identifiers echa infocard 100.014.075 ec number 215-481-4 comptox dashboard (epa) dtxsid0020103 hazards ghs labelling: pictograms signal word danger hazard statements h300, h314, h350, h410 precautionary statements p201, p202, p260, p264, p270, p273, p280, p301+p330+p331, p303+p361+p353, p304+p340+p310, p305+p351+p338+p310, p308+p313, p363, p391, p405, p501 safety data sheet (sds) american elements sds except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °c , 100 kpa). infobox references common side effects include vomiting, diarrhea, swelling, shortness of breath, and headaches. severe side effects may include apl differentiation syndrome and heart problems. use during pregnancy or breastfeeding may harm the baby. its mechanism in treating cancer is not entirely clear. arsenic trioxide was approved for medical use in the united states in 2000. it is on the world health organization's list of essential medicines. approximately 50,000 tonnes are produced a year. due to its toxicity, a number of countries have regulations around its manufacture and sale. uses medical arsenic trioxide is used to treat a type of cancer known as acute promyelocytic leukemia (apl). it may be used both in cases that are unresponsive to other agents, such as all-trans retinoic acid (atra) or as part of the initial treatment of newly diagnosed cases. this initial treatment may include combination therapy of arsenic trioxide with all-trans retinoic acid (atra). effectiveness appears similar to realgar/indigo naturalis, which can be taken by mouth and is less expensive but is less available. it works by encouraging the proteosome breakdown of retinoic acid receptor alpha, by moving the protein on to the nuclear matrix and increasing ubiquitination. in the 1970s, chinese researcher zhang tingdong and colleagues discovered this use. it was approved for leukemia treatment in the united states in 2000. university of hong kong developed a liquid form of arsenic trioxide that can be given by mouth. organoarsenic compounds, such as feed additives (roxarsone) and medication (neosalvarsan), are derived from arsenic trioxide. manufacturing industrial uses include usage as a precursor to forestry products, in colorless glass production, and in electronics. being the main compound of arsenic, the trioxide is the precursor to elemental arsenic, arsenic alloys, and arsenide semiconductors. bulk arsenic-based compounds sodium arsenite and sodium cacodylate are derived from the trioxide. a variety of applications exploit arsenic's toxicity, including the use of the oxide as a wood preservative. copper arsenates, which are derived from arsenic trioxide, are used on a large scale as a wood preservative in the u.s. and malaysia, but such materials are banned in many parts of the world. this practice remains controversial. in combination with copper(ii) acetate, arsenic trioxide gives the vibrant pigment known as paris green used in paints and as a rodenticide. this application has been discontinued. alternative medicine despite the well known toxicity of arsenic, arsenic trioxide was used in traditional chinese medicine, where it is known as pi-shuang (chinese: 砒霜; pinyin: pīshuāng; lit. 'arsenic frost'). in homeopathy, it is called arsenicum album. some discredited patent medicines, e.g., fowler's solution, contained derivatives of arsenic oxide. toxicology