With Ketones, Nitromethane, Dimethyl Sulfite or Carboxylic Acid Anhydrides

With Ketones, Nitromethane, Dimethyl Sulfite or Carboxylic Acid Anhydrides 

The reaction of tellurium tetrachloride with ketones in refluxing chloroform was investigated by Morgan and coworkers in the 1920s. Although all of these reactions were carried out under exactly the same conditions with a 2 1 molar ratio of ketone to tellurium tetrachloride, only one of the possible products (the least soluble) was isolated from most of the reaction mixtures (s. Vol. IX, p. 1060, 1152). For a reaction to occur, at least one hydrogen atom must be bonded to one of the carbon atoms adjacent to the carbonyl group. An unsymmetrical ketone could produce two ketonyl tellurium trichlorides and three diketonyl tellurium dichlorides. 

Alkyl aryl ketones produce benzoylalkyl tellurium trichlorides (Vol. IX, p. 1153). The ketonyl tellurium trichlorides reported in the older literature are listed in Ref..  

When tellurium tetrachloride and acetone (1 2 molar ratio) are refluxed in dry chloroform, 2-methyl-4-oxo-2-penten-l-yl tellurium trichloride is formed in 43% yield. This compound can be obtained in quantitative yield from tellurium tetrachloride and mesityl oxide. The reaction of tellurium tetrachloride and acetone in the presence of sodium hydrogen carbonate gives only acetonyl tellurium trichloride and diacetonyl tellurium dichloride.  

Irgolic Organic Tellurium Compounds with one Te,C Bond 

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