Selenium: Difference between revisions
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Selenium is the 34th [[Element|element]] in the periodic table, with atomic mass of 78.96. It has its boiling point at 958.15 K, and its melting point at <span style="line-height: 19.9200000762939px;">493.95 K<ref>Royal Society of Chemistry (2011), Selenium. http://www.rsc.org/periodic-table/element/34/selenium Last accessed 27/11/2014</ref>.</span> | |||
=== Biology === | |||
References | It is the key element in selenocysteine (a [[Cysteine|cysteine]] amino acid where the [[Sulphur|sulphur]] [[Atom|atom]] is replaced by a selenium atom), an [[Amino acid|amino acid]] that occurs infrequently in proteins in both [[Eukaryotes|eukaryotes]] and [[Prokaryotes|prokaryotes]]<ref>PubMed.gov (1991), Selenocysteine: the 21st amino acid, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1828528 Last accessed 27/11/2014</ref><ref>PubMed.gov (2012), Synthesis and decoding of selenocysteine and human health, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23275319 Last accessed 27/11/2014</ref>. Excessive selenium consumption can cause hair and nail loss, or breath that smells of garlic, whereas lack of selenium in the diet can cause male infertility, or generate a predisposition to [[Keshan disease|Keshan]] or [[Kashin-Beck disease|Kashin-Beck disease]]<ref>National Institutes of Health (2013), Selenium Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet, http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Selenium-HealthProfessional/#h8 Last accessed 27/11/2014.</ref>. It is also added to some anti-dandruff shampoos as an anti-fungal agent<ref>Royal Society of Chemistry (2011), Selenium. http://www.rsc.org/periodic-table/element/34/selenium Last accessed 27/11/2014</ref>.<br> | ||
=== References === | |||
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Latest revision as of 13:06, 4 December 2018
Selenium is the 34th element in the periodic table, with atomic mass of 78.96. It has its boiling point at 958.15 K, and its melting point at 493.95 K[1].
Biology
It is the key element in selenocysteine (a cysteine amino acid where the sulphur atom is replaced by a selenium atom), an amino acid that occurs infrequently in proteins in both eukaryotes and prokaryotes[2][3]. Excessive selenium consumption can cause hair and nail loss, or breath that smells of garlic, whereas lack of selenium in the diet can cause male infertility, or generate a predisposition to Keshan or Kashin-Beck disease[4]. It is also added to some anti-dandruff shampoos as an anti-fungal agent[5].
References
- ↑ Royal Society of Chemistry (2011), Selenium. http://www.rsc.org/periodic-table/element/34/selenium Last accessed 27/11/2014
- ↑ PubMed.gov (1991), Selenocysteine: the 21st amino acid, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1828528 Last accessed 27/11/2014
- ↑ PubMed.gov (2012), Synthesis and decoding of selenocysteine and human health, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23275319 Last accessed 27/11/2014
- ↑ National Institutes of Health (2013), Selenium Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet, http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Selenium-HealthProfessional/#h8 Last accessed 27/11/2014.
- ↑ Royal Society of Chemistry (2011), Selenium. http://www.rsc.org/periodic-table/element/34/selenium Last accessed 27/11/2014