Carbonyl selenide 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 ...

with the

chemical formula 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, such as pare ...

. It is a linear molecule that is primarily of interest for research purposes.

Properties

Carbonyl selenide is a colorless gas with an unpleasant odor. Although the compound is quite stable, its solutions gradually revert to elemental

selenium Selenium is a chemical element; it has symbol (chemistry), symbol Se and atomic number 34. It has various physical appearances, including a brick-red powder, a vitreous black solid, and a grey metallic-looking form. It seldom occurs in this elem ...

and

carbon monoxide Carbon monoxide (chemical formula CO) is a poisonous, flammable gas that is colorless, odorless, tasteless, and slightly less dense than air. Carbon monoxide consists of one carbon atom and one oxygen atom connected by a triple bond. It is the si ...

Synthesis and reactions

Carbonyl selenide can be produced by treating selenium with carbon monoxide in the presence of amines. It is used in organoselenium chemistry as a means of incorporating

into

organic compounds Some chemical authorities define an organic compound as a chemical compound that contains a carbon–hydrogen or carbon–carbon bond; others consider an organic compound to be any chemical compound that contains carbon. For example, carbon-co ...

, e.g. for the preparation of selenocarbamates (''O''-selenocarbamates and ''Se''-selenocarbamates, , where R is organyl and R' and R" are any group, typically H or organyl).

References

{{Carbon compounds Inorganic carbon compounds Oxides Selenides