Topic summary
Methaneselenol
Methaneselenol is the organoselenium compound with the formula CH4Se or CH3SeH. It is the simplest selenol. A colorless, poisonous gas, it is notorious for its foul, putrid odor.
It is prepared by reaction of methyl lithium or a methylGrignard reagent with selenium followed by protonation of the product. The compound is a metabolite.
According to IR spectroscopy, νSe-H = 2342 cm. For the other homologues, νE-H = 1995 (E = Te), 2606 (E = S), and 3710 cm (E = O) for methanetellurol, methanethiol, and methanol.