We have prepared nanosheets and nanodots of 2D arsenene by the ultrasonication of grey arsenic in appropriate solvents. The nanosheets have been characterized by various microscopies as well as Raman and optical spectroscopy. Arsenene exhibits a band gap of ∼2.3 eV which agrees with the calculated value. The nanodots show blue emission in the 400–460 nm range. Results from theoretical calculations on arsenene are consistent with the experimental results.