Tellurium tetrachloride is the inorganic compound with the

empirical formula In chemistry, the empirical formula of a chemical compound is the simplest whole number ratio of atoms present in a compound. A simple example of this concept is that the empirical formula of sulfur monoxide, or SO, would simply be SO, as is the ...

TeCl₄. The compound is volatile, subliming at 200 °C at 0.1 mmHg. Molten TeCl₄ is ionic, dissociating into TeCl₃⁺ and Te₂Cl₁₀²⁻.

Structure

TeCl₄ is monomeric in the gas phase, with a structure similar to that of SF₄. In the solid state, it is a

tetramer A tetramer () ('' tetra-'', "four" + '' -mer'', "parts") is an oligomer formed from four monomers or subunits. The associated property is called ''tetramery''. An example from inorganic chemistry is titanium methoxide with the empirical formula ...

cubane-type cluster A cubane-type cluster is an arrangement of atoms in a molecular structure that forms a cube. In the idealized case, the eight vertices are symmetry equivalent and the species has Oh symmetry. Such a structure is illustrated by the hydrocarbon ...

, consisting of a Te₄Cl₄ core and three terminal chloride ligands for each Te. Alternatively, this tetrameric structure can be considered as a Te₄ tetrahedron with face-capping chlorines and three terminal chlorines per tellurium atom, giving each tellurium atom a distorted octahedral environment

Synthesis

TeCl₄ is prepared by

chlorination Chlorination may refer to: * Chlorination reaction In chemistry, halogenation is a chemical reaction that entails the introduction of one or more halogens into a compound. Halide-containing compounds are pervasive, making this type of transform ...

tellurium Tellurium is a chemical element with the symbol Te and atomic number 52. It is a brittle, mildly toxic, rare, silver-white metalloid. Tellurium is chemically related to selenium and sulfur, all three of which are chalcogens. It is occasionall ...

powder: :Te + 2 Cl₂ → TeCl₄ The reaction is initiated with heat. The product is isolated by distillation.

Applications

TeCl₄ is of occasional interest in organic synthesis. and It adds to alkenes to give Cl-C-C-TeCl₃ derivatives, wherein the Te can be subsequently removed with sodium sulfide. Electron-rich arenes react to give aryl Te compounds. Thus,

anisole Anisole, or methoxybenzene, is an organic compound with the formula CH3OC6H5. It is a colorless liquid with a smell reminiscent of anise seed, and in fact many of its derivatives are found in natural and artificial fragrances. The compound i ...

gives TeCl₂(C₆H₄OMe)₂, which can be reduced to the diaryl telluride.

Safety considerations

As is the case for other tellurium compounds, TeCl₄ is toxic. It also releases HCl upon hydrolysis.

References

{{Chlorides Tellurium(IV) compounds Chlorides Tellurium halides Deliquescent substances Chalcohalides