Selective detection and identification of Se containing compounds—review and recent developments

The complexity of selenium (Se) chemistry in the environment and in living organisms presents broad analytical challenges. The selective qualitative and quantitative determination of particular species of this element is vital in order to understand selenium’s metabolism and significance in biology, toxicology, clinical chemistry and nutrition. This calls for state-of-the-art analytical techniques such as hyphenated methods that are reviewed with particular emphasis on interfaced separation with element-selective detection and identification of the detected selenium compounds. Atomic spectral element specific detection for monitoring chromatographic eluent enabled quantitative determination of selenium species in selenized yeast and qualitative measurement for breath samples. Gas chromatography with atomic emission detection (AED) of ethylated species and fluoroacid ion pair HPLC applied to the analysis of currently produced or archived selenized yeast and Brassica juncea have revealed the presence of a previously unrecognised SeS amino acid, S-(methylseleno)cysteine.