Cambridge Encyclopedia :: Cambridge Encyclopedia Vol. 67

selenium

Se, element 34. A metalloid in the oxygen group, found as a minor constituent of sulphide ores, and mainly produced from the residue of copper refinement. Its chemistry is similar to that of sulphur, with main oxidation states ?2, +2, +4, and +6. Hydrogen selenide (H2Se) has a particularly obnoxious smell and is very toxic. Mainly important for its electrical properties, selenium can be used to convert light to electric current (in photocells) and alternating current to direct current (in rectifiers).

34 arsenic ← selenium → bromine
S

Se

Te
Periodic Table - Extended Periodic Table
General
Name, Symbol, Number selenium, Se, 34
Chemical series nonmetals
Group, Period, Block 16, 4, p
Appearance gray-black, metallic luster
Atomic mass 78.96(3) g/mol
Electron configuration [Ar] 3d 4p4
Electrons per shell 2, 8, 18, 6
Physical properties
Phase solid
Density (near r.t.) (gray) 4.81 g·cm−3
Density (near r.t.) (alpha) 4.39 g·cm−3
Density (near r.t.) (vitreous) 4.28 g·cm−3
Liquid density at m.p. 3.99 g·cm−3
Melting point 494 K
(221 °C, 430 °F)
Boiling point 958 K
(685 °C, 1265 °F)
Critical point 1766 K, 27.2 MPa
Heat of fusion (gray) 6.69 kJ·mol−1
Heat of vaporization 95.48 kJ·mol−1
Heat capacity (25 °C) 25.363 J·mol
Vapor pressure
P/Pa 1 10 100 1 k 10 k 100 k
at T/K 500 552 617 704 813 958
Atomic properties
Crystal structure hexagonal
Oxidation states ±2, 4, 6
(strongly acidic oxide)
Electronegativity 2.55 (Pauling scale)
Ionization energies
(more)
1st: 941.0 kJ·mol−1
2nd: 2045 kJ·mol−1
3rd: 2973.7 kJ·mol−1
Atomic radius 115 pm
Atomic radius (calc.) 103 pm
Covalent radius 116 pm
Van der Waals radius 190 pm
Miscellaneous
Magnetic ordering no data
Thermal conductivity (300 K) (amorphous)
0.519 W·m
Thermal expansion (25 °C) (amorphous)
37 µm·m
Speed of sound (thin rod) (20 °C) 3350 m/s
Young's modulus 10 GPa
Shear modulus 3.7 GPa
Bulk modulus 8.3 GPa
Poisson ratio 0.33
Mohs hardness 2.0
Brinell hardness 736 MPa
CAS registry number 7782-49-2
Selected isotopes
Main article: Isotopes of selenium
iso NA half-life DM DE (MeV) DP
72Se syn 8.4 d ε - 72As
γ 0.046 -
74Se 0.87% Se is stable with 40 neutrons
75Se syn 119.779 d ε - 75As
γ 0.264, 0.136,
0.279
-
76Se 9.36% Se is stable with 42 neutrons
77Se 7.63% Se is stable with 43 neutrons
78Se 23.78% Se is stable with 44 neutrons
79Se syn 1.13×106 y β- 0.151 79Br
80Se 49.61% Se is stable with 46 neutrons
82Se 8.73% 1.08×1020 y β 2.995 82Kr
References

Selenium (IPA: /səˈliːniəm/) is a chemical element with atomic number 34, with the chemical symbol Se.

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