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Selenium Se
Where is selenium used--or where does it impact our everyday lives?
Selenium Se
Atomic number: 34 Atomic mass: 78.96
Position on the periodic table Group number: 6 Period number: 4
Melting point: 220.5oC (428.9oF)
Boiling point: 685oC (1265oF)
Reaction with air (oxygen): Selenium burns in air to form the solid dioxide selenium(IV) oxide, SeO2.
Reaction with water: forms selenous acid, H2SeO3
Electron configuration: 2, 8, 18, 6
Source: LANL.gov
Researcher: Alice H
Selenium is a micronutrient, needed by our bodies as a dietary requirement. It is found in Brazil nuts--a portion size of ~10 nuts would contain the recommended daily requirement for an adult (55 micrograms)
Check out the NIH information on dietary selenium at https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Selenium-HealthProfessional/
Selenium is available in dietary supplements
Selenium is used in laser photocopiers
Selenium coats the copying drum in a photcopier because it is a semiconductor. Selenium becomes positively charged and the light from the scanning deactivates the charge where there is no writing, so only the written characters are recognised and carbon is attracted to those charged areas to make the copy.
WIS Photographer