Water-soluble diorganyl tellurides

Water-soluble diorganyl tellurides with thiolperoxidase and autoxidant activity have been prepared as depicted in the following scheme.  

Dihalocarbenes generated under phase transfer catalysis add to vinylic tellurides to give the corresponding gem-dihaloarylteUuro cyclopropanes.  

These classes of tellurium compounds are treated separately because of their peculiar behaviour as synthons and intermediates of fundamental organic transformations.  

Leading examples of such performance are the transmetallation reactions of (Z)-vinylic tellnrides, easily generated by the hydrotelluration of alkynes, leading to (Z)-vinyl organometallic reagents, which are difficult to obtain by other currently available methods. 

It is worth mentioning that the sequence hydrotelluration of acetylenes/transmetaUation complements the classical sequence hydrostannillation of acetylenes/transmetallation, which lead to (f )-vinylic organostannates. 

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Because of their increased solubility in water, 4-sulphopropyl-substituted derivatives such as Li, Na, K and Me4N salts were found to be the most efficient tellurium-based inhibitors of thioredoxin reductase. Another active diorganyl telluride is characterized by p-OMOM, p-OTHP and (0CH2CH2)30THP, groups. 

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