Complex selenides

Metals less noble than copper, such as iron, nickel, and lead, dissolve from the anode. The lead precipitates as lead sulfate in the slimes. Other impurities such as arsenic, antimony, and bismuth remain partiy as insoluble compounds in the slimes and partiy as soluble complexes in the electrolyte. Precious metals, such as gold and silver, remain as metals in the anode slimes. The bulk of the slimes consist of particles of copper falling from the anode, and insoluble sulfides, selenides, or teUurides. These slimes are processed further for the recovery of the various constituents. Metals less noble than copper do not deposit but accumulate in solution. This requires periodic purification of the electrolyte to remove nickel sulfate, arsenic, and other impurities. 

Selenium occurs in the slimes as intermetallic compounds such as copper silver selenide [12040-91 -4], CuAgSe disilver selenide [1302-09-6], Ag2Se and Cu2 Se [20405-64-5], where x < 1. The primary purpose of slimes treatment is the recovery of the precious metals gold, silver, platinum, palladium, and rhodium. The recovery of selenium is a secondary concern. Because of the complexity and variabiUty of slimes composition throughout the world, a number of processes have been developed to recover both the precious metals and selenium. More recently, the emphasis has switched to the development of processes which result in early recovery of the higher value precious metals. Selenium and tellurium are released in the later stages. Processes in use at the primary copper refineries are described in detail elsewhere (25—44). 

Tellurium Selenides. TeUurium selenides or selenium teUurides are unknown. The molten elements are miscible in aU proportions. The mixtures are not simple soUd solutions but have a complex stmcture. Like the sulfides, the selenides exhibit semiconductor properties. 

Both antimony tribromide and antimony ttiiodide are prepared by reaction of the elements. Their chemistry is similar to that of SbCl in that they readily hydroly2e, form complex haUde ions, and form a wide variety of adducts with ethers, aldehydes, mercaptans, etc. They are soluble in carbon disulfide, acetone, and chloroform. There has been considerable interest in the compounds antimony bromide sulfide [14794-85-5] antimony iodide sulfide [13868-38-1] ISSb, and antimony iodide selenide [15513-79-8] with respect to their soHd-state properties, ferroelectricity, pyroelectricity, photoconduction, and dielectric polarization. 

In this reaction, the complexation of the metal ion by the polymer is expected to play a significant role in the formation of the nanocrystalline selenides. During the reaction, the... 

Draganjac M, Rauchfuss TB (1985) Transition metal polysulfides Coordination compounds with purely inorganic chelate ligands. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 24 742-757 DuBois MR (1989) Catalytic applications of transition metal complexes. Chem Rev 89 1-9 Ansari MA, Ibers JA (1990) Soluble selenides and tellurides. Coord Chem Rev 100 223-266... 

Cathodic electrodeposition of microcrystalline cadmium-zinc selenide (Cdi i Zn i Se CZS) films has been reported from selenite and selenosulfate baths [125, 126]. When applied for CZS, the typical electrocrystallization process from acidic solutions involves the underpotential reduction of at least one of the metal ion species (the less noble zinc). However, the direct formation of the alloy in this manner is problematic, basically due to a large difference between the redox potentials of and Cd " couples [127]. In solutions containing both zinc and cadmium ions, Cd will deposit preferentially because of its more positive potential, thus leading to free CdSe phase. This is true even if the cations are complexed since the stability constants of cadmium and zinc with various complexants are similar. Notwithstanding, films electrodeposited from typical solutions have been used to study the molar fraction dependence of the CZS band gap energy in the light of photoelectrochemical measurements, along with considerations within the virtual crystal approximation [128]. 

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