When was selenium first used

The brighter the light, the better selenium conducts electricity. This property has made selenium useful in devices that respond to the intensity of light, such as electric eyes, photo cells, light meters for cameras and copiers.

Selenium can also produce electricity directly from sunlight and is used in solar cells. Selenium is also a semiconductor and is used in some types of solid-state electronics as well as in rectifiers, devices which convert alternating current electricity into direct current electricity. In addition to its use in electrical devices, selenium is also used to make a ruby-red color in glasses and enamels, as a photographic toner and as an additive to stainless steel.

Selenium forms few inorganic compounds, none of which are commercially important. CAS Google Scholar. Download references. You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar. Correspondence to Russell Boyd. Reprints and Permissions. Boyd, R. Selenium stories. Nature Chem 3, Download citation. Published : 23 June Issue Date : July Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:. Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative. Plant and Soil Veterinary Research Communications Environmental Science and Pollution Research Advanced search. Skip to main content Thank you for visiting nature. Download PDF. Subjects Inorganic chemistry. The element resembles sulfur in its makeup.

Here are the properties of selenium, according to the Jefferson Lab :. Berzelius also determined the atomics weights of many elements and developed a system of chemical symbols.

Berzelius discovered selenium after analyzing an impurity in sulfuric acid being produced at a factory in Sweden.

He thought it was tellurium at first, and then realized it was unknown element, according to the Jefferson Lab. At one time, selenium was thought to be a toxin. In the s doctors began researching selenium's ability to fight tumors. It turns out both trains of thought were right. Some animal studies have shown that selenium may help protect against cancer, but that taking a supplement is not a good idea, according to the American Cancer Society.

There is very little room for error in dosage and just a little more than needed can be toxic. High doses can cause these side effects, according to the University of Maryland :. Selenium is found in many different foods. Other foods that have selenium include muscle meats, grains and dairy products.

It can also be found in drinking water in some places.