Volatile dimethylselenide (DMSe) was transformed to a nonvolatile Se compound in a ??-MnO2 suspension. The nonvolatile product was a single compound identified as dimethylselenoxide based on its mass spectra pattern. After 24 h, 100% of the DMSe added to a ??-MnO2 suspension was converted to nonpurgable Se as opposed to 20%, 18%, and 4% conversion for chromate, permanganate, and the filtrate from the suspension, respectively. Manganese was found in solution after reaction. These results imply that the reaction between manganese oxide and DMSe was a heterogeneous redox reaction involving solid phase ??-MnO2 and solution phase DMSe. Oxidation of DMSe to dimethylselenoxide [OSe(CH3)2] by a ??-MnO2 suspension appears to be first order with respect to ??-MnO2, to DMSe, and to hydrogen ion with an overall rate law of d[OSe(CH3)2 ]/dt = 95 M-2 min-1 [MnO2]1[DMSe]1[H+]1 for the MnO2 concentration range of 0.89 ?? 10-3 - 2.46 ?? 10-3 M, the DMSe concentration range of 3.9 ?? 10-7 - 15.5 ?? 10-7 M Se, and a hydrogen ion concentation range of 7.4 ?? 10-6 -9.5 ?? 10-8 M. A general surface site adsorption model is consistent with this rate equation if the uncharged |OMnOH is the surface adsorption site. DMSe acts as a Lewis base, and the manganese oxide surface acts as a Lewis acid. DMSe adsorption to |OMnOH can be viewed as a Lewis acid/ base complex between the largely p orbitals of the DMSe lone pair and the unoccupied eg orbitals on manganese oxide. For such a complex, frontier molecular orbital theory predicts electron transfer to occur via an inner-sphere complex between the DMSe and the manganese oxide. ?? 1995 American Chemical Society.