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What
the name means:
Selenium was named from the Greek word for
the Moon, Selene.
Who
identified
selenium? It was
identified by Jöns Jacob Berzelius in 1817.
Berzelius was attempting to purify a metal
called tellurium. He noticed that the
tellurium sample was contaminated with an
unidentified element. This new element
burned with a blue flame and gave off an
odour similar to that of a radish.
Berzelius named the element selenium, from
the Greek word for the Moon. (This was
because the recently discovered tellurium
had been named after the Roman Earth
goddess, Telles).
About
selenium:
Selenium is not found free in nature. When
it is extracted from its compounds it can
be isolated as a silvery metal or as a red
powder. It was noticed that selenium could
be used to convert light into an electrical
signal. This discovery paved the way for
the development of the photoelectric cell
and the television. Selenium is an
essential micronutrient for most living
things. Some plants have the ability to
store selenium, even though it is toxic in
such quantities to most organisms. |