A STUDY OF THE DIFFERENTIAL-PULSE VOLTAMMETRIC BEHAVIOR OF ORGANIC AND INORGANIC SELENIUM-COMPOUNDS AND ITS ANALYTICAL APPLICATIONS

N-(1-methylpropyl)-2-phenylselenenyl-2-phenyl-butyramide(I), N-(1-methylpropyl)-2-phenylselenenyl-2-phenylacetamide(II), N-(isopropyl)-2-phenylselenenyl-2-phenylacetamide(III) and diphenyldiselenide(IV) undergo homolytic fission of their Se-C bonds (and in the latter case the Se-Se bond) followed by formation of adsorbable Ph-Se-Hg at the stationary mercury drop electrode. Ph-Se-Hg can then be cathodically stripped with LODs of 9 . 10(-9) mol/l, 3.6 . 10(-8) mol/l, 1.4 . 10(-8) mol/l and 10(-8) mol/l, respectively. Selenium(IV) can be determined by formation of adsorbable HgSe with an LOD of 5 . 10(-10) mol/l. Differential pulse voltammetry with adsorptive preconcentration of the reducible species cannot discriminate between the studied organoselenium compounds (I)-(IV) or between the organoselenium compounds and Se(IV), due to the similarity of electrode processes.