Tellurium compounds covalent bond character

We have already noted that the properties of the elements in Group VI show the characteristic trends that we have come to expect on descending a Group. The elements become more metallic in character oxygen is a covalently bonded gaseous diatomic molecule sulfur is a solid containing Sg molecules and is an insulator selenium (non-metal) and tellurium (semi-metal) are semiconductors with polymeric structures polonium is a metal. The compounds of selenium, tellurium and pollonium also illustrate the inert pair effect and a tendency to higher coordination numbers. 

The platinum metal chalcogenides in general are easier to prepare than the corresponding oxides. Whereas special conditions of temperature and pressure are required to prepare many of the oxides, the platinum metals react most readily with S, Se, and Te. A number of additional differences concerning the chemistry of the chalcogenides and the oxides are summarized as follows The metal—sulfur (selenium, tellurium) bond has considerably more covalent character than the metal-oxygen bond and, therefore, there are important differences in the structure types of the compounds formed. Whereas there may be considerable similarity between oxides and fluorides, the structural chemistry of the sulfides tends to be more closely related to that of the chlorides. The latter compounds... 

They are formed from the binary compounds by substitution of S or Se by a second non-metal, frequently arsenic, silicon, germanium, or tellurium. Such a choice of elements is evidence of the covalent character of the bonding in the rare earth sulfides and selenides. 

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