Ammonium selenide is a chemical compound with the symbol (NH4)2Se. It is claimed to be a white solid and there is little to no spectroscopic evidence on this compound.
Preparation It was first claimed to be prepared in 1898 by reacting concentrated ammonia and hydrogen selenide gas. However, this has been disproved in 1926 as it was shown that ammonium selenide was unstable in water. Instead, ammonium selenide was produced by the reaction of anhydrous ammonia and hydrogen selenide gas (made from the reaction of iron(II) selenide and hydrochloric acid). However, there is no X-ray crystallography on this compound.
Reactions Ammonium selenide reacts with water and various acids. For example, it reacts with nitric acid to form selenous acid.: "Salz- und Schwefelsäure bewirken augenblicklichen Zerfall; Salpetersäure und andere Oxydationsmittel oxydieren weiter zu H2SeO3 bzw. H2SeO4." [Hydrochloric and sulfuric acids effect instantaneous decomposition; nitric acid and other oxidizers oxidize further to H2SeO3 or resp. H2SeO4.] It also reacts with various metals, such as calcium, to produce their respective selenides.
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