硒,特别是II氧化态的硒能与碳形成稳定的键,其结构类似于相应的有机硫化合物。硒和硫有類似的性質,因此,許多有機硫化合物都有对应的有机硒化合物。其中,最常见的是硒醚(R2Se,硫醚的类似物)、二硒化物(R2Se2,二硫化物的类似物)和硒醇(RSeH,硫醇的类似物)。有机硫化学中的亚砜在有机硒化学中对应的化合物是硒代亚砜(RSe(O)R),是有机合成的中间体,例如硒代亚砜消除反应(英语:selenoxide elimination)。由于双键规则(英语:double bond rule),硒酮 R(C=Se)R和硒醛 R(C=Se)H都很罕见。[23]
硒(Selenium名稱來自希臘文的σελήνη selene,意思是「月亮」)於1817年由永斯·貝吉里斯(Jöns Jakob Berzelius) 與約翰·戈特利布·甘恩(Johan Gottlieb Gahn)兩位化學家發現。[24]這兩位化學家在瑞典格利普霍姆堡(Gripsholm)附近擁有一家以鉛室法製造硫酸的工廠。從瑞典法倫的大銅山礦區來的黃鐵礦用鉛室法會產生被認為是砷化物的紅色沉澱,此黃鐵礦因而不再用來製備硫酸。不過貝吉里斯與甘恩仍然想使用這裡的黃鐵礦而且察覺到紅色沉澱物燃燒時會釋放出類似辣根的氣味,這種氣味並非典型砷化物具有的,而像是碲化物的氣味。所以貝吉里斯最初寫給亞歷山大·馬西特(英语:Alexander_Marcet)(Alexander Marcet)的信上說到這是碲化物。但是在法倫礦區礦物少有碲化物的事實讓貝吉里斯重新分析這些紅色沉澱物,在1818年他寫給馬西特的第二封信就提到這是一種類似硫與碲的新元素。由於碲是以地球命名,貝吉里斯就以月球來命名這個新元素。[25][26]
1873年衛勒比·史密斯(英语:Willoughby_Smith)(Willoughby Smith)發現灰硒的電阻與所在環境的光度有關,[27]這個特性讓硒被用來當作感光元件。在1870年代中期,第一個用到硒的商業產品由維爾納·馮·西門子(Werner von Siemens)開發出來,亞歷山大·格拉漢姆·貝爾(Alexander Graham Bell)1879年發明的光電話機(Photophone)也用到了硒元件,硒傳輸的電流正比於照在其上的光線強度,這種現象也被用在測光表與類似裝置的設計。硒的半導體性質應用在許多電子設備,[28][29][30]1930年代初期開始有以硒設計的硒整流器(英语:Selenium_rectifier)
,因為效率較好[31][32][33] 取代了氧化銅整流器。此商業運用持續到1970年代,之後又被更便宜且更有效率的矽整流器所取代。
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