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Nanoparticles have been synthesized chemically for the past few decades. The chemical methods of
production are too costly to be implemented in industrial scale and the stability of the nanoparticles then
produced is also an unanswered question. The organic synthesis of nanoparticles which includes the
synthesis of nanoparticles using micro-organisms and plant parts opens a window into the production of
low cost and efficient nanoparticles and the production of stable encapsulated nanoparticles.
The present study involves the review of synthesis of selenium nanoparticles using the various organisms
and the characterization study of selenium nanoparticles that is produced by the same method.
Microorganisms have been observed to have separate pathways for reducing property and the same
mechanism is employed here. Selenium has been known to be analogous to sulphur in its structure and
this has many pharmaceutical and industrial applications as pesticides and algaecides. The review shows
the effect of concentration, temperature and light intensity and the optimization of the selenium
production. The characterization of selenium nanospheres has been done by UV-spectrophotometer, Xray
diffraction and by atomic force microscopy. The study further puts an insight into the usage of
selenium nanoparticles as food additives and as various other analogue mechanisms for sulphur.
Keywords: Nanoparticles, nanospheres, selenium