SeO3

selenium trioxide · selenic anhydride

Selenium trioxide is a semiconducting binary oxide of selenium that is recognized for its potential for synthesis and structural complexity.

OSe
Crystal structure of SeO3 (tetragonal, P-421c (No. 114))
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About selenium trioxide

Selenium trioxide is a binary oxide of selenium that exhibits semiconducting electronic characteristics. Due to its position near the thermodynamic hull, it is considered a synthesizable compound of significant interest in inorganic chemistry research.

Its structural diversity is evidenced by a large number of reported configurations within material databases. This complexity makes it a compelling subject for studies focused on the fundamental bonding and stability of chalcogen-based oxides.

At a glance

Key Properties

Cross-validated computational properties for selenium trioxide, aggregated across 3 databases.

Band Gap

2.20–2.43 eV
Range across DFT structures

Energy Above Hull

0.020 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

Near hull (likely stable)
1 DFT source

Structures

82
3 databases, 18 space groups
Crystallography

Reported Structures

Lowest-energy structures reported for SeO3, ranked by energy above hull.

Space GroupCrystal SystemBand Gap (eV)E above hull (eV/atom)E/atom (eV)Density (g/cm³)
P-421c (No. 114)tetragonal2.430.0203-5.4593.45
P212121 (No. 19)orthorhombic2.200.1668-5.3122.61
P21/m (No. 11)Monoclinic4.15
P-1 (No. 2)Triclinic3.79
Cm (No. 8)Monoclinic5.06
P-31m (No. 162)Trigonal4.87
P21/m (No. 11)Monoclinic5.17
P1 (No. 1)Triclinic4.15
Pm (No. 6)Monoclinic3.60
Pm (No. 6)Monoclinic7.13
Pm (No. 6)Monoclinic4.31
P4mm (No. 99)Tetragonal5.46
Uses

Applications

Where selenium trioxide is used.

chemical synthesisreagent in organic chemistryprecursor for selenic acid production
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about selenium trioxide, answered from cross-validated data.

What is SeO3?

Selenium trioxide is a semiconducting binary oxide of selenium that is recognized for its potential for synthesis and structural complexity.

More questions
What is SeO3 used for?
selenium trioxide (SeO3) is used in chemical synthesis, reagent in organic chemistry, and precursor for selenic acid production.
What is the band gap of SeO3?
selenium trioxide (SeO3) has a DFT-computed band gap of 2.20–2.43 eV across 82 reported structures.
Is SeO3 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
With a band gap up to 2.43 eV it is a semiconductor.
Is SeO3 thermodynamically stable?
selenium trioxide (SeO3) has a lowest energy above hull of 0.020 eV/atom (near hull (likely stable)).
What is the crystal structure of SeO3?
The lowest-energy reported polymorph of selenium trioxide (SeO3) is tetragonal symmetry, space group P-421c (No. 114).
What is the density of SeO3?
The computed density of the ground-state structure of selenium trioxide (SeO3) is 3.45 g/cm³.
How many polymorphs of SeO3 are known?
82 structures of SeO3 are reported across 3 databases, spanning 18 distinct space groups.
What elements does SeO3 contain?
selenium trioxide (SeO3) contains O and Se (2 elements).
Where does the data for SeO3 come from?
SeO3 data is cross-referenced from materials_project, mpaloe.
Comparison

How It Compares

As a selenium-based oxide, this compound represents a distinct structural phase within the broader family of chalcogen oxides, serving as a critical reference point for understanding the stability limits of high-oxidation-state selenium compounds.

Data sources & attribution
  • materials_project — Data from the Materials Project. Cite: Jain et al., APL Materials 1, 011002 (2013).
  • mpaloe — Data from mpaloe.

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