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 conven ...

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 the

oxyanion An oxyanion, or oxoanion, is an ion with the generic formula (where A represents a chemical element and O represents an oxygen atom). Oxyanions are formed by a large majority of the chemical elements. The formulae of simple oxyanions are determine ...

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 ...

. It is the selenium analog of the

sulfite Sulfites or sulphites are compounds that contain the sulfite ion (systematic name: sulfate(IV) ion), . The sulfite ion is the conjugate base of bisulfite. Although its acid (sulfurous acid) is elusive, its salts are widely used. Sulfites are ...

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 In chemistry, an ester is a chemical compound, compound derived from an acid (either organic or inorganic) in which the hydrogen atom (H) of at least one acidic hydroxyl group () of that acid is replaced by an organyl group (R). These compounds c ...

of selenous acid, for example dimethyl selenite .

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, . Most selenite salts can be formed by heating the metal oxide with selenium dioxide, e.g.: :

References

Selenium(IV) compounds Chalcogen oxyanions {{Chem-stub