Organic selenocyanates are

organoselenium compound Organoselenium compounds (or seleno-organic) are chemical compounds containing carbon-to-selenium chemical bonds. Organoselenium chemistry is the corresponding science exploring their properties and reactivity. Selenium belongs with oxygen and sulf ...

s with the general formula RSeCN. They are generally colorless, air-stable solids or liquids with repulsive odors. In terms of structure, synthesis, and reactivity, selenocyanates and

thiocyanate Thiocyanate (also known as rhodanide) is the anion . It is the conjugate base of thiocyanic acid. Common derivatives include the colourless salts potassium thiocyanate and sodium thiocyanate. Mercury(II) thiocyanate was formerly used in pyrot ...

s behave similarly.

Preparation

Alkyl selenocyanates are generally prepared by treatment of

potassium selenocyanate Potassium selenocyanate is the inorganic compound with the formula KSeCN. It is a hygroscopic white solid that is soluble in water, decomposing in air to red selenium and potassium cyanide. The compound has been characterized by X-ray crystallog ...

with

alkyl halide The haloalkanes (also known as halogenoalkanes or alkyl halides) are alkanes containing one or more halogen substituents. They are a subset of the general class of halocarbons, although the distinction is not often made. Haloalkanes are widely ...

s in alcohol or acetone solution. Aryl selenocyanates are generally prepared by treatment of potassium selenocyanate with

aryl In organic chemistry, an aryl is any functional group or substituent derived from an aromatic ring, usually an aromatic hydrocarbon, such as phenyl and naphthyl. "Aryl" is used for the sake of abbreviation or generalization, and "Ar" is used as ...

diazonium salt Diazonium compounds or diazonium salts are a group of organic compounds sharing a common functional group where R can be any organic group, such as an alkyl or an aryl, and X is an inorganic or organic anion, such as a halide. General properti ...

Reactions

Organic selenocyanates can be reduced to the selenol, which readily oxidize to the diselenide: :RSeCN + 2e⁻ → RSe⁻ + CN⁻ :RSe⁻ + H⁺ → RSeH :2 RSeH + 0.5O₂ → RSeSeR + H₂O Oxidation of selenocyanates gives the

seleninic acid A seleninic acid is an organoselenium compound and an oxoacid with the general formula , where R ≠ H. Its structure is . It is a member of the family of organoselenium oxoacids, which also includes selenenic acids and selenonic acid A selenoni ...

References

{{Functional Groups Functional groups