Sodium hydroselenide is a

chemical compound A chemical compound is a chemical substance composed of many identical molecules (or molecular entities) containing atoms from more than one chemical element held together by chemical bonds. A molecule consisting of atoms of only one element ...

, an

inorganic In chemistry, an inorganic compound is typically a chemical compound that lacks carbon–hydrogen bonds, that is, a compound that is not an organic compound. The study of inorganic compounds is a subfield of chemistry known as '' inorganic chemist ...

salt Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quantitie ...

; each unit consists of one

sodium Sodium is a chemical element with the symbol Na (from Latin ''natrium'') and atomic number 11. It is a soft, silvery-white, highly reactive metal. Sodium is an alkali metal, being in group 1 of the periodic table. Its only stable iso ...

, one

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 tellurium, ...

, and one

hydrogen Hydrogen is the chemical element with the symbol H and atomic number 1. Hydrogen is the lightest element. At standard conditions hydrogen is a gas of diatomic molecules having the formula . It is colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, an ...

atom.

Production

Sodium hydroselenide can be made by reducing selenium with

sodium borohydride Sodium borohydride, also known as sodium tetrahydridoborate and sodium tetrahydroborate, is an inorganic compound with the formula Na BH4. This white solid, usually encountered as an aqueous basic solution, is a reducing agent that finds appli ...

: : Se + NaBH₄ → NaSeH + BH₃(g) Alternatively it can be made from

sodium ethoxide Sodium ethoxide, also referred to as sodium ethylate, is the ionic, organic compound with the formula , or NaOEt (Et = ethane). It is a white solid, although impure samples appear yellow or brown. It dissolves in polar solvents such as ethanol. ...

exposed to

hydrogen selenide Hydrogen selenide is an inorganic compound with the formula H2Se. This hydrogen chalcogenide is the simplest and most commonly encountered hydride of selenium. H2Se is a colorless, flammable gas under standard conditions. It is the most toxic sele ...

: : NaOEt + H₂Se → NaSeH + HOEt Sodium hydroselenide is not made for storage, instead it is used immediately after production in a

fume hood A fume hood (sometimes called a fume cupboard or fume closet) is a type of local ventilation device that is designed to limit exposure to hazardous or toxic fumes, vapors or dusts. Description A fume hood is typically a large piece of equipmen ...

thanks to the appalling odour of hydrogen selenide.

Properties

Sodium hydroselenide dissolves in water or ethanol. In humid air sodium hydroselenide is changed to sodium

polyselenide In chemistry, a polyselenide usually refers to anions of the formula (Sen)2-, where Se is the atomic symbol for the element selenium. Many main group and transition metals form complexes with polyselenide anions. Preparation Conceptually, polyse ...

and elemental selenium. Sodium hydroselenide is slightly reducing.

Use

In organic synthesis, hydrogen sodium hydroselenide is a nucleophillic agent for insertion of selenium.

References

Sodium compounds Selenides {{inorganic-compound-stub