10 Interesting Selenium Facts

Learn more about Selenium Facts if you want to know the chemical element used in different kinds of products. If you check the period table, selenium has the atomic number of 34 with the symbol Se. It means that this chemical element has 34 protons. If you are interested to know the discovery, history and products which contain selenium, check the following post below:

Selenium Facts 1: the name

The name Selenium is derived from the Greek word, Selene. The meaning of this word is moon. The word Selene is also used by the ancient Greek people to call the goddess of moon.

Selenium Facts 2: who discovered selenium?

Jöns Jakob Berzelius and Johan Gottlieb Gahn were the scientists who discovered selenium in 1817. Both were from Sweden.

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Selenium Facts 3: the natural state

Selenium is hardly found in pure form in the nature. But the people can find this element in the metal sulfide ores. It can be found on the mineral such as selenate or selenide even though it is very rare.

Selenium Facts 4: the toxic element

You have to handle selenium in great care for it can be toxic if you have it in the form of selenium salts.

Selenium Facts

Selenium Facts 5: selenium for animals and plants

Selenium is very important for the life of plants and animals.

Selenium Facts 6: Manganese electrolysis

One of the usages of selenium is for the Manganese electrolysis. The selenium dioxide is needed during the electro winning of manganese. The largest country which uses a lot of selenium dioxide for the manganese electrolysis is China. There will be around 2 kilogram selenium oxide used for the each tonne of manganese.

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Selenium Facts 7: Glass production

More than 50 percent of Selenium production in the world is used for glass production.  The glass will have red color when it is mixed with Se. Most glass productions have yellow or green tint. But it can reduce both colors and replace them with red tint.

Selenium Facts 8: Alloys

The toxic lead is replaced by selenium to create brasses. It will be mixed with bismuth. The lead should be reduced in the brass based on the Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974 which talks about the regulation of lead in drinking water application.

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Selenium Facts 9: the steel concentration

The steel concentration can be increased by adding selenium to create alloys. Therefore, it is often mixed in copper alloys. Get facts about Scandium here.

Selenium Facts 10: the solar cell

Selenium is also functional to be used in the production of solar cell.  The cell is combined with copper indium gallium selenide.

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