Tellurium: Inorganic ChemistryBased in part on the article Tellurium: Inorganic Chemistry by William R. McWhinnie which appeared in theEncyclopedia of Inorganic Chemistry, First Edition.

Abstract

This article describes the main trends in the progress of inorganic tellurium chemistry during recent decades. The emphasis is on the synthesis and characterization of novel nonmetallic tellurium compounds and on transition metal compounds with tellurium‐containing ligands. Many inorganic tellurium compounds find use as single‐source precursors for the generation of binary telluride thin films for electronic applications, or as reagents in organic synthetic chemistry. The advent and progress in modern instrumental methods of analysis has shown that the structural features of tellurium compounds often differ from those of sulfur and selenium compounds.

Long-range supramolecular synthon polymorphism: a case study of two new polymorphic cocrystals of Ph2Te2–1,4-C6F4I2

“…Such a straight C–Te–Te–C angle in these and other ditellurides results from minimized repulsion between the adjacent Te atom p lone-pairs. 39 Donation of the π-density of the adjacent aromatic ring to the antibonding *σ(Te–Te) orbital may populate the latter, which is manifested by the elongation of the Te–Te distance in 1α as compared to 1β and 1γ . This π(Ph)⋯*σ(Te–Te) interaction is hardly possible when the Ph rings are parallel to the Te–Te bond in 1β and 1γ (Fig.…”

Chalcogen Bonding Catalysis: Tellurium, the Last Frontier?

“…Most of the applications mentioned above rely on the inorganic chemistry of tellurium. [6] In contrast, the organic chemistry of tellurium is so far less represented in these applications. Pioneered by H. Rheinboldt in the mid-50's, this chemistry has slowly but gradually evolved up to the turn of the XXI st century with the production of dedicated reviews and books.…”