A heterocyclic organic compound with the molecular formula C4H5As. Its five-membered ring has one of the carbon atoms replaced by arsenic. Thus it has the following structural formula:

     H        H
      \      / 
       C -- C
      //    \\
 H -- C      C -- H
       \    /
         As
         |
         H

Arsole is not aromatic, unlike certain similar compounds.. or its namesake. A common application for this chemical is found in geek jokes such as this one1:

Two chemists meet for the first time at a symposium. One is American, one is British. The British chemist asks the American chemist, "So what do you do for research?" The American responds, "Oh, I work with arsoles." The Brit responds, "Yes, sometimes my colleagues get on my nerves also."

However, arsole is a real compound and serious scientific work has been done on it, as illustrated by these publications2:

  1. "Studies on the Chemistry of the Arsoles", G. Märkl and H. Hauptmann, J. Organomet. Chem., 248 (1983) 269.
  2. "Unusual Substitution in an Arsole Ring", G. Märkl and H. Hauptmann, Angew. Chem. 84, (1972) 439.

References:

{1} Joachim Verhagen's Science Jokes, http://www.xs4all.nl/~jcdverha/scijokes/
{2} Molecules with Silly or Unusual Names, http://www.bris.ac.uk/Depts/Chemistry/MOTM/silly/sillymols.htm

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