“Green Is the Color”: An Update on Ecofriendly Aspects of Organoselenium Chemistry

• Juliano B. Azeredo¹
• Filipe Penteado²
• Vanessa Nascimento³
• Luca Sancineto⁴
• Antonio L. Braga⁵
• Eder João Lenardao²
• Claudio Santi⁴

• ¹Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Farmacêuticas, Universidade Federal do Pampa, Uruguaiana, Uruguaiana 97501-970, RS, Brazil
• ²Laboratório de Síntese Orgânica Limpa-LaSOL-CCQFA, Universidade Federal de Pelotas-UFPel, P.O. Box 354, Pelotas 96010-900, RS, Brazil
• ³Laboratório SupraSelen, Departamento de Química Orgânica, Instituto de Química, Campus do Valonguinho, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niteroi 24020-150, RJ, Brazil
• ⁴Group of Catalysis Synthesis and Organic Green Chemistry, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Perugia, Via del Liceo 1, 06100 Perugia, Italy
• ⁵Departamento de Química, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina—UFSC, Florianopolis 88040-900, SC, Brazil

Organoselenium compounds have been successfully applied in biological, medicinal and material sciences, as well as a powerful tool for modern organic synthesis, attracting the attention of the scientific community. This great success is mainly due to the breaking of paradigm demonstrated by innumerous works, that the selenium compounds were toxic and would have a potential impact on the environment. In this update review, we highlight the relevance of these compounds in several fields of research as well as the possibility to synthesize them through more environmentally sustainable methodologies, involving catalytic processes, flow chemistry, electrosynthesis, as well as by the use of alternative energy sources, including mechanochemical, photochemistry, sonochemical and microwave irradiation.

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