[12] Synthesis in structured environments refers to the production of cadmium selenide in liquid crystal or surfactant solutions.

Examples of this ordering are layered alternating sheets of solution and surfactant, micelles, or even a hexagonal arrangement of rods.

High temperature pyrolysis synthesis is usually carried out using an aerosol containing a mixture of volatile cadmium and selenium precursors.

The precursor aerosol is then carried through a furnace with an inert gas, such as hydrogen, nitrogen, or argon.

This discretization of energy states results in electronic transitions that vary by quantum dot size.

This quantum confinement effect can be observed as a red shift in absorbance spectra for nanocrystals with larger diameters.

"[14] CdSe quantum dots have been implemented in a wide range of applications including solar cells,[15] light emitting diodes,[16] and biofluorescent tagging.

Understanding the surface structure of CdSe quantum dots in order to investigate the structure's unique properties and for further functionalization for greater synthetic variety requires a rigorous description of the ligand exchange chemistry on the quantum dot surface.

Using NMR, quantum dots have been shown to be nonstoichiometric meaning that the cadmium to selenide ratio is not one to one.

CdSe dots have excess cadmium cations on the surface that can form bonds with anionic species such as carboxylate chains.

Examples of X type ligands that have been studied in the context of CdSe nanocrystal surface chemistry are sulfides and thiocyanates.

Cadmium selenide is a known carcinogen to humans and medical attention should be sought if swallowed, dust inhaled, or if contact with skin or eyes occurs.