Selenic acid facts for kids
Selenic acid is a special chemical compound that acts like an acid. Its chemical formula is H2SeO4. Think of it as a tiny building block made of hydrogen, selenium, and oxygen atoms.
What Selenic Acid Is Like
Selenic acid usually looks like a clear, colorless liquid when mixed with water. It is a very strong acid, much like the acid in your stomach.
One important thing about selenic acid is that it's a powerful oxidizing agent. This means it can take electrons from other substances, causing them to change.
If you carefully remove all the water from selenic acid, it can turn into another compound called selenium trioxide.
This acid is so strong that it can even react with hydrochloric acid. When they mix, they create chlorine gas and selenous acid. Selenic acid can also dissolve gold, forming something called gold selenate.
If you heat selenic acid above 200°C (392°F), it releases oxygen gas and changes into selenous acid. It also reacts with bases (the opposite of acids) to form new compounds called selenates.
How Selenic Acid Is Made
Scientists can make selenic acid in a few ways.
One common method is to use selenium dioxide and mix it with hydrogen peroxide. This process is called oxidation, where the selenium dioxide gains oxygen atoms.
It's tricky to make selenic acid turn into a solid. But if you evaporate the liquid very carefully, you can get clear, solid crystals of selenic acid.
Another way to make it is by taking selenous acid and adding a strong oxidizing agent. Some examples of these agents are potassium permanganate, chlorine, or bromine.
However, there's a small problem with this method. Sometimes, unwanted substances like HCl or HBr are made as a byproduct. These byproducts can actually turn the selenic acid back into selenous acid! So, they need to be removed quickly.
You can also create selenic acid by mixing selenium with chlorine in water.
Related Pages
See also
In Spanish: Ácido selénico para niños
