Selenium was discovered by Jns Jacob Berzelius at Stockholm in

1817. He had shares in a sulfuric acid works and he was

intrigued by a red-brown sediment which collected at the bottom
of the chambers in which the acid was made.
Selenium from the Greek word for moon, selene .
At first he thought it was the element tellurium because it gave
off a strong smell of radishes when heated, but he eventually
realised that it was in fact a new element. He also noted that it
was like sulfur and indeed had properties intermediate between
sulfur and tellurium. Berzelius found that selenium was present
in samples of tellurium and gave that element its characteristic
smell. He also became affected by it personally it can be
absorbed through the skin and it caused him to experience the
bad breath associated with those who work with this element.

s a group 16 element with the atomic number 34. It is a metalloid, and shares several of its properties with oxygen and sulfur, which are the most well-known members
e most important physical characteristics of selenium are its electrical properties. For example, selenium is a semiconductor. A semiconductor is a substance that condu
Selenium is often used:

In the glass industry to decolorize glass and to make red-

colored glasses and enamels

as a catalyst in many chemical reactions

used in solar cells and photocells in fact the first solar cell
was made using selenium. It is also used as a photographic

toner
is used with bismuth in brasses and as an additive to stainless
steel. When selenium is added to iron and copper based metals

it improves their machinability

Selenium sulfide is used in anti-dandruff shampoos.

Jons Jakob Berzelius

1818

Seleni
um