How to Learn About Selenium

Selenium, the 34th element, comprises 30 parts per billion of all matter in the universe. Selenium has the unusual property of conducting electricity better in the light. The following steps will aid in your search for information about this fascinating element.

Instructions

1

Read up on Greek roots and history. Learn that selenium got its name from the Greek word "Selune," after the Greek goddess of the moon, a reference to the silvery gray color of metallic, noncrystalline selenium.

2

Learn that the discovery of selenium is credited to Jons Jakob Berzelius of Sweden in 1817.

3

Read about geology to learn that selenium is occasionally found in pure form. Selenium is mined in Belgium, Canada, Japan and the United States. The most common method of obtaining selenium is from the mud in electrolytic copper refineries and sulfuric acid plants.

4

Search chemistry and physics Web sites and books to learn that selenium conducts electricity better in the light. Make sure to look for facts about selenium's appearance, reactivity and other chemical and physical properties.

5

Learn that selenium's ability to convert light to electricity makes it useful in photoelectric cells, light meters, TV cameras, solar cells and semiconductors. Industrially, selenium is also used to convert alternating current to direct current in rectifiers. Selenium is an important alloying agent, especially with steel.

6

Discover that biochemically, selenium is an essential trace element in some species, including humans. It is a component of the unusual amino acid selenocysteine and protects against cancers and other diseases. A selenium deficiency may cause strokes in humans.