Selenic acid

Selenic acid is the strong inorganic oxoacid H₂SeO₄, with selenium in the +6 oxidation state. It is a powerful oxidizing acid and an analogue of sulfuric acid.

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Selenate: Selenate is the SeO₄²⁻ anion and the family of compounds containing it. Losing both acidic protons converts selenic acid into the selenate ion.
Selenium: Selenium is a chemical element with atomic number 34, found in several oxidation states and allotropes. Selenic acid is one highly oxidized compound in selenium’s broader chemistry.
Oxidation state: An oxidation state is a formal charge assigned to an atom using a standard accounting of bonding electrons. It identifies selenium as +6 in H₂SeO₄ and helps track its reduction.
Selenium trioxide: Selenium trioxide is SeO₃, an oxide of selenium in the +6 oxidation state. Hydration of selenium trioxide forms selenic acid.
Hydrogen selenate: Hydrogen selenate is the HSeO₄⁻ ion, formed by removing one proton from selenic acid. This is the intermediate conjugate base in selenic acid’s two-step ionization.
Selenium dioxide: Selenium dioxide is SeO₂, a selenium oxide in which selenium has oxidation state +4. Oxidation of selenium dioxide provides a route to selenic acid and selenates.
Chemical formula: A chemical formula represents a substance’s constituent elements and their relative numbers. H₂SeO₄ encodes the atom ratio and constrains the acid’s structure.
Oxidation of selenous acid: Oxidation of selenous acid converts selenium from the +4 to the +6 oxidation state. This reaction is a practical route from selenous acid to selenic acid.
Selenous acid: Selenous acid is H₂SeO₃, an oxoacid in which selenium has oxidation state +4. Its lower selenium oxidation state gives it different acid and redox chemistry.
Selenium hexafluoride: Selenium hexafluoride is the volatile molecular compound SeF₆, with selenium in oxidation state +6. It illustrates another way selenium forms compounds at the same high oxidation state.