Isolation of a selenite-reducing and cadmium-resistant bacterium Pseudomonas sp. strain RB for microbial synthesis of CdSe nanoparticles.

Bacteria capable of synthesizing CdSe from selenite and cadmium ion were enriched from a soil sample. After repeated transfer of the soil-derived bacterial cultures to a new medium containing selenite and cadmium ion 42 times (during 360 days), an enrichment culture that can simultaneously remove selenite and cadmium ion (1 mM each) from the liquid phase was obtained. The culture's color became reddish-brown, indicating CdSe nanoparticle production, as confirmed by energy-dispersive x-ray spectra (EDS).