Selenite refers to the

anion An ion () is an atom or molecule with a net electrical charge. The charge of an electron is considered to be negative by convention and this charge is equal and opposite to the charge of a proton, which is considered to be positive by conve ...

with the

chemical formula In chemistry, a chemical formula is a way of presenting information about the chemical proportions of atoms that constitute a particular chemical compound or molecule, using chemical element symbols, numbers, and sometimes also other symbols, ...

. It is the oxyanion of

selenium Selenium is a chemical element with the symbol Se and atomic number 34. It is a nonmetal (more rarely considered a metalloid) with properties that are intermediate between the elements above and below in the periodic table, sulfur and telluriu ...

. It is the selenium analog of the sulfite ion, . Thus selenite is pyramidal and selenium is assigned oxidation state +4. Selenite also refers to compounds that contains this ion, for example sodium selenite which is a common source of selenite. Selenite also refers to the esters of selenous acid, for example

dimethyl selenite Ethane ( , ) is an organic chemical compound with chemical formula . At standard temperature and pressure, ethane is a colorless, odorless gas. Like many hydrocarbons, ethane is isolated on an industrial scale from natural gas and as a petro ...

Synthesis and reactions

Selenite salts can be prepared by neutralizing solutions of selenous acid, which is generated by dissolving selenium dioxide in water. The process proceeds via the hydrogenselenite ion, . Selenite reacts with elemental sulfur to form thioselenate: : Most selenite salts can be formed by heating the metal oxide with selenium dioxide, e.g.: :

References

Selenium(IV) compounds {{Chem-stub