As2O5

Arsenic pentoxide · Arsenic(V) oxide

Arsenic pentoxide is a stable, semiconducting oxide of arsenic that acts as a vital precursor in the synthesis of diverse chemical products.

AsO
Crystal structure of As2O5 (orthorhombic, P212121 (No. 19))
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About Arsenic pentoxide

Arsenic pentoxide is a thermodynamically stable inorganic compound composed of arsenic and oxygen. It functions as a semiconducting material, distinguishing it from more common metallic oxides, and is recognized for its structural versatility with numerous documented crystalline forms.

This compound serves as a critical chemical intermediate in various industrial processes. Its stability on the convex hull makes it a reliable precursor for the production of arsenates and other arsenic-based chemical products used in specialized manufacturing sectors.

At a glance

Key Properties

Cross-validated computational properties for Arsenic pentoxide, aggregated across 5 databases.

Band Gap

1.34–2.08 eV
Range across DFT structures · ground state: wide gap

Energy Above Hull

0.000 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

Stable
3 DFT sources

Structures

23
5 databases, 7 space groups
Validation

Cross-Source DFT Agreement

How well independent DFT databases agree on the thermodynamics of As2O5. Tight agreement means computed properties can be trusted without re-running calculations.

Agreement Score

1.00 / 1.00
Trust tier: high

Hull Spread

0.000 eV
EAH spread across sources

Sources Compared

3
jarvis, materials_project, oqmd

Space Group Consensus

All match
Crystallography

Reported Structures

Lowest-energy structures reported for As2O5, ranked by energy above hull.

Space GroupCrystal SystemBand Gap (eV)E above hull (eV/atom)E/atom (eV)Density (g/cm³)
——1.790.0000-1.357—
P212121 (No. 19)orthorhombic1.730.0000-1.104—
P212121 (No. 19)orthorhombic1.430.0000-6.4264.44
P41212 (No. 92)tetragonal1.340.0001-6.4264.44
P43212 (No. 96)tetragonal1.370.0001-6.4264.44
P43212 (No. 96)tetragonal1.560.0005-1.104—
P43212 (No. 96)tetragonal1.560.0005-1.104—
——1.490.0891-1.268—
——2.080.1611-1.196—
——1.770.1669-1.190—
——0.000.3217-1.035—
P1 (No. 1)triclinic———4.14
Uses

Applications

Where Arsenic pentoxide is used.

Wood preservationGlass manufacturingChemical synthesisHerbicide production
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Arsenic pentoxide, answered from cross-validated data.

What is As2O5?

Arsenic pentoxide is a stable, semiconducting oxide of arsenic that acts as a vital precursor in the synthesis of diverse chemical products.

More questions
What is As2O5 used for?
Arsenic pentoxide (As2O5) is used in wood preservation, glass manufacturing, chemical synthesis, and herbicide production.
What is the band gap of As2O5?
Arsenic pentoxide (As2O5) has a DFT-computed band gap of 1.34–2.08 eV across 23 reported structures. Standard DFT underestimates band gaps, so the measured gap is typically larger.
Is As2O5 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
DFT predicts a band gap of up to 2.08 eV (a semiconductor). Measured gaps are typically larger.
Is As2O5 thermodynamically stable?
Yes — Arsenic pentoxide (As2O5) sits on the convex hull (energy above hull 0 eV/atom), i.e. stable.
What is the crystal structure of As2O5?
The reference structure of Arsenic pentoxide (As2O5) is orthorhombic symmetry, space group P212121 (No. 19).
How many polymorphs of As2O5 are known?
23 structures of As2O5 are reported across 5 databases, spanning 7 distinct space groups.
What elements does As2O5 contain?
Arsenic pentoxide (As2O5) contains As and O (2 elements).
Where does the data for As2O5 come from?
As2O5 data is cross-referenced from oqmd, jarvis, materials_project, mpaloe, cod.
Comparison

How It Compares

As a stable semiconducting oxide, this compound occupies a unique niche in materials science, serving as a primary reference point for arsenic-based chemical systems where high thermodynamic stability is required for consistent industrial performance.

Data sources & attribution
  • oqmd — Data from the OQMD (oqmd.org). Cite: Saal et al., JOM 65, 1501 (2013); Kirklin et al., npj Comp. Mater. 1, 15010 (2015). (CC-BY-4.0)
  • jarvis — Data from JARVIS (jarvis.nist.gov), NIST. Cite: Choudhary et al., npj Comp. Mater. 6, 173 (2020). (LicenseRef-US-Gov-PD)
  • materials_project — Data from the Materials Project (materialsproject.org). Cite: Jain et al., APL Materials 1, 011002 (2013). (CC-BY-4.0)
  • mpaloe — Data from MP-ALOE. Cite: Kuner et al., npj Comput. Mater. (2025), doi:10.1038/s41524-025-01834-9.
  • cod — Data from the Crystallography Open Database (crystallography.net/cod/). Cite: Grazulis et al., J. Appl. Cryst. 42, 726 (2009). (CC0-1.0)

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