Seleninic acid

A seleninic acid is an organoselenium compound and an oxoacid with the general formula RSeO2H, where R ≠ H. Its structure is R−Se(=O)−OH.

Seleninic acids (particularly areneseleninic acids) are useful catalysts for hydrogen peroxide epoxidations, Baeyer–Villiger oxidations, oxidations of thioethers, etc.

; peroxyseleninic acids (R−Se(=O)−OOH) are thought to be the active oxidants.

[1][2][3] Methaneseleninic acid has been characterized by X-ray crystallography.

The structure is isomorphous to that of methanesulfinic acid [5] Benzeneseleninic acid (C6H5−Se(=O)−OH) had been previously characterized by X-ray methods[6] and its optical resolution reported.