Telluride startg

Startg. oxido compd. in methanol added via syringe to a soln. of Na2Te (generated in situ from Te and NaBH4 in 17 1 methanol/water) at —40°, the mixture allowed to react for ca. 3-4 h, oxygen or air introduced to promote oxidation of residual telluride ion to tellurium, aq. KOH added, and stirred at room temp, for 1 h - 2-( -butyl)-4-hydroxymethyltellurophene. Y 68%. Where Te is incompletely reduced to monomeric telluride ion, e.g. with Na-formaldehyde sulfoxylate, the primary product is the corresponding 2-hydroxymethyl-1,3-enyne. F.e.s.. R.P. Discordia, D.C. Dittmer, Tetrahedron Letters 29, 4923-6 (1988). 

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