Lithium butyl tellurolate

Lithium butyl tellurolate reacts with phenylbromoethyne to give butyl phenylethynyl telluride ... 

The reaction of enol phosphates 84 with lithium -butyl tellurolate 85a, generated by reaction of -butyllithium with elemental tellurium, occurs rapidly to give the corresponding vinylic tellurides 86 (Scheme 51). Mixtures of (Z)- and ( )-enol phosphates afford the (Z)-vinylic telluride as the only product. ... 

Air is then bubbled through it to oxidize the lithium tellurolate. The red oily ditelluride that separates is extracted with ethyl ether (200 mL). The organic phase is washed with H2O (2X50 niL), dried (CaCl2) and evaporated to give 2.83 g of a viscous red oil. Distillation of 5.66 g of the crude material prepared in this manner affords 4.87 g of pure di-n-butyl ditelluride (89% based on Te b.p. 103-105°C/0.8 torr). 

The reactions of lithium n-butyl and p-methoxyphenyl tellurolate with trans-f-hro-mostyrene require, respectively, a 15 min and a 3 h reflux in THF, indicating a greater nucleophilicity of the aliphatic tellurolate towards the aromatic tellurolate. 

The preparation of lithium acetylides from acetylenes and butyl lithium can be carried out in THF at 20°. The lithium acetylides react with tellurium to form lithium ethynetellurolates. These tellurolates were reacted with chloroiodomethane at — 40° to — 60 to give the corresponding chloromethyl ethynyl telluriums11. Yields and physical properties of these latter products were not reported. 

Poly(l,4-phenylene Ditellurium)1 Under nitrogen, a solution of 1 mol of 1,4-dibromobenzene is cooled to — 15° with stirring, a solution of 22 mol of butyl lithium in hexane is added dropwise followed by 1 mol of finely ground tellurium, and the mixture is stirred at 20° until all of the tellurium has dissolved. To this mixture is added 2 mol of butyl lithium followed by 1 mol of powdered tellurium. When all of the tellurium has dissolved, 2 mol of water and then 2 mol of triethylaminc arc added. The resultant tellurolate is oxidized by addition of an aqueous solution of potassium hexacyanoferrate(Ill) yield 54% reddish-brown, amorphous powder. 

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