Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 9, 2026
10:05
Integrated Field Lysimetry and Porewater Sampling for Evaluation of Chemical Mobility in Soils and Established Vegetation
Published on: July 4, 2014
Fate of dimethyldiselenide in soil
Yiqiang Zhang1, William T Frankenberger
1Department of Environmental Sciences, University of California, Riverside 92521-0424, USA.
Journal of Environmental Quality
|August 15, 2002
Summary
Dimethyldiselenide (DMDSe) transforms into nonvolatile selenium compounds in soil, rather than remaining volatile. Microbial activity in soil significantly influences the transformation of DMDSe, impacting selenium
Area of Science:
- Environmental Chemistry
- Soil Science
- Biogeochemistry
Background:
- Volatilization of dimethyldiselenide (DMDSe) is crucial for selenium remediation.
- The environmental fate and transformation of DMDSe in soil remain largely unknown.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the behavior and transformations of DMDSe in soil.
- To identify the resulting selenium species and their stability in soil environments.
Main Methods:
- Monitoring DMDSe in the headspace of spiked soil samples.
- Fractionation and speciation of selenium forms in soil.
- Comparison of non-autoclaved and autoclaved soil to assess microbial influence.
Main Results:
- DMDSe readily dissolves in water and sorbs strongly to soil.
- Chemical and biological processes convert DMDSe to nonvolatile forms, primarily elemental selenium [Se(0)] and organic selenium.
- Microbial activity enhances the conversion of DMDSe to dimethylselenide (DMSe).
- Mass recovery indicated significant transformation of DMDSe in non-autoclaved soils (85-93%) compared to autoclaved soils (50-70%).
Conclusions:
- DMDSe is unstable in soil environments.
- DMDSe can act as a precursor to dimethylselenide (DMSe) in soil.
- Understanding DMDSe transformations is vital for effective selenium remediation strategies.
