Tellurium oxyacids

Inorganic Compounds. Inorganic selenium compounds are similar to those of sulfur and tellurium. The most important inorganic compounds are the selenides, haUdes, oxides, and oxyacids. Selenium oxidation states are —2, 0, +1, +2, +4, and +6. Detailed descriptions of the compounds, techniques, and methods of preparation, and references to original work are available (1—3,5,6—10, 51—54). Some important physical properties of inorganic selenium compounds are Hsted in Table 3. 

Tellurium forms inorganic compounds very similar to those of sulfur and selenium. The most important teUurium compounds are the teUurides, haUdes, oxides, and oxyacids (5). Techniques and methods of preparation are given in the Uterature (51,52). The chemical relations of teUurium compounds are iUustrated in Figure 2 (53). 

Oxyacids containing selenium and tellurium are known, but they and their salts are generally less important than the sulfur compounds. When selenium and tellurium halides hydrolyze, the solutions contain selenous and tellurous acids. 

Among the oxygen group elements, while sulfur is oxidized to +6 oxidation state (in H2SO4), selenium and tellurium are oxidized to +4 oxyacids with the liberation of nitrogen dioxide ... 

Tellurium burns in air with a greenish-blue flame. The combustion product is dioxide, Te02, the most stable oxide of the metal. Tellurium also forms other oxides the monoxide, TeO, the trioxide, TeOs, and the pentoxide, Te205. Monoxide has not yet been obtained in solid form. Like sulfur and selenium, tellurium forms oxyacids. Such oxyacids include orthotelluric acid, HeTeOe and tellurous acid, H2Te03, in which the metal is in +6 and +4 valence states respectively. 

Sulfur, selenium, and tellurium form a variety of oxyacids. Certain of these compounds and their derivatives are of great importance, with the most important of all these compounds being sulfuric acid. Because of the extraordinary significance of that compound, it will be described in more detail in a separate section. The major oxyacids of sulfur are shown in Table 15.6. Differences between the sulfur oxyacids and those of selenium and tellurium will be discussed later. 

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