Tellurium Triacetate

The reaction of 4-ethoxyphenyl tellurium trichloride with silver acetate in an inert organic solvent produced a white solid of variable carbon content1. An aryl tellurium triacetate could not be isolated. 

The reaction of diphenyl ditellurium with lead tetraacetate in benzene at 20° produced a solution containing phenyl tellurium triacetate as shown by NMR spectroscopy. Attempts to isolate the product yielded a white crystalline material of indefinite composition1 3. 

An acetic acid or acetic anhydride solution of 4-methoxyphenyl tellurium triacetate, prepared from bis[4-methoxyphenyl] ditellurium and lead tetraacetate, upon irradiation with light from a high pressure mercury lamp produced 4-methoxyphenyl acetate in 14% yield4. 

Oxidizing agents such as nitric acid, air, hydrogen peroxide, and lead tetraacetate convert ditellurium compounds to tellurinic acid derivatives. Diphenyl ditellurium suspended in hot dilute nitric acid formed benzenetellurinic acid nitrate. Air oxidizes dissolved diaryl ditellurium compounds to tellurinic acid anhydrides. Diphenyl ditellurium and lead tetraacetate in benzene solution form phenyl tellurium triacetate ... 

Electrophilic addition reactions of tetravalent tellurium compounds have been reviewed.64 2-Naph-thyltellurium trichloride (ArTeCb) adds to alkenes in an anti stereospecific manner (equation 11), whereas tellurium tetrachloride gives mixtures of 2 1 adducts with both syn and anti addition.72 A one-pot alkene inversion procedure has been developed, based upon TeCU addition to alkenes followed by treatment of the (3-chloroalkyltellurium trichloride adduct with aqueous Na2S (Scheme 37).73 Tellurium compounds such as tellurinyl acetates, ArTe(0)0Ac, prepared in situ through reaction of tellurinic acid anhydrides with acetic acid, can be employed in oxytelluration and aminotelluration procedures (Schemes 38 and 39).74 In the oxytelluration reaction intermediate triacetates of the type RCH2Te(OAc)2Ph are reduced with hydrazine to the corresponding tellurides. 

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