Dimethyltellurium dichloride

Organotellurium compounds such as dimethyltellurium dichloride and dimethyltelluride have been reported as potential inhibitors of squalene monooxygenase, causing a dramatic reduction in the rate of cholesterol biosynthesis and leading to degradation of the myelin sheath. 

Dimethyltelluride, dimethyltellurium dichloride and trimethyltelluronium chloride inhibit squalene monooxygenase in Schwann cells in culture. 

As a final remark in this chapter, a very important investigation concerning the experimental verification of lone pair electron density has been reported for dimethyltellurium dichloride, (CH3)2TeCl2 (451). High-resolution X-ray experiments on the deformation density at 151 K, which are the first ones of this kind for a heavy main-group element molecule, give clear and quantitative evidence for the localized electron density predicted at one of the equatorial positions of the ( (-trigonal bipyramidal molecule. 

Several structurally characterized organotellurium halides have been found to be associated in the solid state. For example, a-dimethyltellurium dichloride, Me2TeCl2, forms a polymeric array (Te-Cl 2.541 and 2.480 A Te- Cl 3.46 and 3.52 A) [482]. -Me2Tel2 is a self-organized polymer (Te-12.854-2.994 A, Te- -13.659-4.030 A) [483] whereas j5-Me2Tel2 is a ionic compound [Me3Te]+[MeTel4] with cation-anion secondary bond interactions (Te- - -I 3.84-3.400 A) [484]. 

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