From Tetraorgano Tellurium Compounds

One Te-C bond in tetraorgano tellurium compounds is easily cleaved by water hydrogen chloride halogens dichloromethane, and chloroform with formation of triorgano telluronium halides. 

4 Dimethyl-2,2 -biphenyldiyl 4,4 -Dimethyl-2 -bromo-2-biphenyl TeUuronium Bromide 200 mg (0.41 mmol) of bis[4,4 -dimethyl-2,2 -biphenyldiyl] tellurium are suspended in 20 m/ of carbon tetrachloride, the suspension is cooled in an ice/salt bath, and bromine is added dropwise with stirring until the brown color of bromine persists. The precipitate is filtered, washed with carbon tetrachloride, and dried yield 226 mg (85%) m.p. 278° (from dichloromethane/diethyl ether). 

2 -Biphenyldiyl 2-bromo-2 -biphenyl telluronium bromide (m.p. 264 , yield 79%) and the corresponding iodine compound (m.p. 265°, yield 63%) were similarly prepared Tetraphenyl tellurium transferred an anionic phenyl group to benzaldehyde and triphenyl boron yielding triphenyl telluronium salts.  

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