Tris trimethylsilyl silyltellurol

Method A. A 100-mL, round-bottomed Schlenk flask equipped with a magnetic stir bar is charged with (THF)2LiTeSi(SiMe3)3 (1.00 g, 1.90 mmol). Hexane (40 mL) is added, and stirring is initiated. After the starting material is completely dissolved, trifluoromethanesulfonic acid (0.17 mL, 1.9 mmol) is added via syringe. 

The solution gradually darkens as the reaction proceeds stirring should be continued for at least 2 h as triflic acid is only sparingly soluble in hexane. The solvent is removed under reduced pressure and the grey solid residue is transferred to a sublimator. The colorless waxy product sublimes slowly between 40 and 70°C/10 3 torr onto a cold finger cooled to — 78°C with dry ice/acetone. Yield 0.648 g (91%). The reaction has been scaled up by a factor of 12 without diminution in yield.  

Gysling, The Chemistry of Organic Selenium and Tellurium Compounds, S. Patai and Z. Rappoport, (eds.), Wiley, New York, 1986, p. 679. 

Irgolic, The Organic Chemistry of Tellurium, Gordon and Breach, New York, 1974. 

---

TRIS(TRIMETHYLSILYL)SILYL LITHIUM TRIS(TETRAHYDROFURAN), LITHIUM TRIS(TRIMETHYLSILYL)SILYLTELLUROLATE BIS(TETRAHYDROFURAN), AND TRIS(TRIMETHYLSILYL)SILYLTELLUROL ... 

Lithium tris(trimethylsilyl)silyltellurolate bis(tetrahydrofuran) is a pale yellow, air-sensitive solid that is soluble in hydrocarbons, diethyl ether, and THF. The finely powdered solid oxidizes (sometimes pyrophorically) in air to give the dark green ditelluride (SiMe3)3SiTeTeSi(SiMe3)3.8 The lithium tellu-rolate is dimeric in the solid state as shown by X-ray crystallography10... 

---