Tellurium, elemental

Manufacture and Recovery. Electrolytic copper refinery slimes are the principal source of selenium and its sister element, tellurium, atomic numbers 34 and 52, respectively. Electrolytic copper refinery slimes are those constituents in the copper anode which are not solubilized during the refining process and ultimately accumulate in the bottom of the electrorefining tank. These slimes are periodically recovered and processed for their metal values. Slimes generated by the refining of primary copper, copper produced from ores and concentrates, generally contain from 5—25% selenium and 2—10% tellurium. 

Although this procedure yields tellurium as the same compound found in the original feedstock, the copper teUuride is recovered in a comparatively pure state which is readily amenable to processing to commercial elemental tellurium or tellurium dioxide. The upgraded copper teUuride is leached with caustic soda and air to produce a sodium teUurite solution. The sodium teUurite solution can be used as the feed for the production of commercial grade teUurium metal or teUurium dioxide. 

A widely used procedure for determining trace amounts of tellurium involves separating tellurium in (1 1) hydrochloric acid solution by reduction to elemental tellurium using arsenic as a carrier and hypophosphorous acid as reductant. The arsenic, reduced from an addition of arsenite to the solution, acts as a carrier for the tellurium. The precipitated tellurium, together with the carrier, is collected by filtration and the filter examined directly in the wavelength-dispersive x-ray fluorescence spectrometer. 

Elemental tellurium and the stable teUurides of heavy nonferrous metals are relatively inert and do not represent a significant health hazard (43—47). Other, more reactive teUurides, including soluble and volatile teUurium compounds such as hydrogen teUuride [7783-09-7] teUurium hexafluoride [7783-80-4] and alkyl teUurides, should be handled with caution. Some of these materials can enter the body by absorption through the skin or by inhalation and ingestion of dust or fumes. No serious consequences or deaths have been reported in workers exposed to teUurium and its compounds in industry (48). 

Heterocycle 108 was obtained in 45% yield by the reaction of dilithiated A-ethynylpyrrole 110 with elemental tellurium followed by a treatment of the reaction mixture with hexamethylphosphorus triamide [95JOM(493)271]. 

The only structurally characterized derivative of a trisimido organophos-phonate anion is the spirocyclic tellurium(IV) complex (19), which is obtained from the interesting redox reaction between PhPCl2 and [Li2Te(N Bu)3 ] 2 [27]. The phosphorus(V)-centered ligands are generated by imide transfer from tellurium to the phosphorus(III) atoms with concomitant reduction of one-half of the tellurium in the Te(IV) reagent to elemental tellurium [27]. 

The synthesis of the tellurium analogues of (24) and (25) requires a different approach, since it is not possible to prepare the necessary amido precursors in significant yields by telluration of [ BuN(H)P( U-N Bu)2PN(H) Bu]. However, the prior hthiation of this P(III)/P(III) system to give (7) followed by reaction with elemental tellurium generates the dianion (24, E = Te) as its dihthium salt (Eq. 5) [37] ... 

N,N -Chelation is also exhibited by the dianionic P(III)/P(V) ligands (25) in the MejSn complex (31) [39] and in the magnesium complex (32) [40], which is prepared by oxidation of [Mg(thf)2[ BuNP(p-N Bu)2PN Bu] by elemental tellurium [40]. One of the endocychc N Bu groups in (32) is also weakly coordinated to magnesium, thus providing an intramolecular base-stabihzation similar to that observed for complexes of type (8). 

In the anion electrochemical series, sulfur, being the less noble element compared to its heavier congeners, occupies an intermediate position between iodine and selenium [(+)F, Cl, Br, I, S, Se, Te(-)]. Selenium, regarded as a metalloid, is a relatively noble element. Tellurium is rather an amphoteric element it can enter into solution in the form of both cations and anions. Regarded as a metal, i.e., with respect to its cations, tellurium occupies a position between copper and mercury. Regarded as a metalloid, i.e., with respect to its anions, it is located on the extreme right of the above series. 

Under normal conditions an atom in elemental tellurium has coordination number 2 + 4. It has been known for a long time that pressure causes the interatomic distances to approximate each other until finally every tellurium atom has six equidistant neighboring atoms at 297 pm the structure (now called Te-IV) corresponds to /3-polonium. However, before this is attained, two other modifications (Te-II and Te-III) that are out of the ordinary appear at 4 GPa and 7 GPa. Te-II contains parallel, linear chains that are mutually shifted in such a way that each Te atom has, in addition to its two neighboring atoms within the chain... 

The element was first thought to be antimony identified as the element tellurium in 1798 by Heinrich Klaproth (1743-1817). 

Zinc telluride, ZnTe, was deposited on quartz, silicon, InAs, and GaSb substrates using Zn[TeSi(SiMe3)3]2 at temperatures between 250 °C and 350 °C. On InAs (orientation not specified) a cubic ZnTe layer was obtained. Problems of stoichiometry are encountered at temperatures below 325 °C because decomposition of the precursor is incomplete, while at higher temperatures (above 350 °C) the deposited ZnTe decomposes into Zn (which evaporates) and involatile elemental tellurium which remains. The results with the analogous cadmium precursor (1.4 torr, 290 °C) indicate that the CdTe films may be of better stoichiometry than those of ZnTe, with XRD results indicating that on a Si substrate the hexagonal phase is predominantly... 

The only ditelluro-phosphorus acid reported to date is lithium dip-henylditellurophosphinate, [Ph2PTe2] Li+, prepared from the reaction of lithium diphenylphosphide with elemental tellurium (analogous to Equation 30).36,45... 

The lower reactivity of elemental tellurium has prevented the general exploitation of this approach for polytellurido complexes. 

Elemental tellurium can be recovered from dibutyl telluride by the following procedure. Under nitrogen, naphthalene (4.0 g) and dry THF (100 mL) are placed in a... 

Also known as tellurium sulfide. to lur-e-om dT s3l,frd tellurium hexafluoride inorg chem TeF A colorless gas which is formed from the elements tellurium and fluorine it is slowly hydrolyzed by water, to liir-e-om hek-s3 flar,Td ... 

Tellurium dioxide is prepared by oxidation of elemental tellurium with concentrated nitric... 

The aryltellurium trihaUdes are generally more stable than the alkyltellurium trihaUdes (aUcyltellurium trichlorides, produced by the addition of TeCl4 to olefins, easily liberate elemental tellurium). 

A useful method for the reductive conversion of elemental tellurium into Te anions employs complex hydrides such as sodium or potassium borohydride and tetraalkyl ammonium borohydride as reducing agents. 

Some concurrent reactions sometimes observed in the above methods (dehydrohalo-genation with the tellurium/Rongalite method and formation of tellurocarbamates RTeC(0)NMe2 with the tellurium/NaH/DMF method) that decrease the yields of the desired tellurides can be avoided by a modified procedure, where sodium telluride is generated by heating elemental tellurium and NaH in NMP. The deep purple solution of the reagent prepared under these conditions can be stored for many days (in contrast to the use... 

Sodium telluride and sodinm 0,0-diethyl phosphorotellurolate, prepared respectively by the Te/NaBH4DMF method and by the reaction of elemental tellurium with NaH and 0,0-diethyl phosphate in ethanol, react with arenediazonium fluoroborates, giving good yields of diaryl tellurides. ... 

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