Tellurium dichloride explained

Tellurium dichloride is a chloride of tellurium with the chemical formula TeCl₂.

Preparation

Tellurium dichloride can be produced by reacting tellurium with difluorodichloromethane.^{[1] [2]}

It can also be produced by the comproportionation of tellurium and tellurium tetrachloride.^[3]

Properties

Tellurium dichloride is a black solid that reacts with water. It will melt into a black liquid and vapourize into a purple gas.^[4] The gas consists of monomeric TeCl₂ molecules with Te–Cl bond lengths of 2.329 Å and a Cl–Te–Cl bond angle of 97.0°.

Tellurium dichloride (TeCl₂) is unstable with respect to disproportionation. Several complexes of it are known and well characterized. They are prepared by treating tellurium dioxide with hydrochloric acid in the presence of thioureas. The thiourea serves both as a ligand and as a reductant, converting Te(IV) to Te(II).

References

1. Book: Gmelin, Leopold . Tellurium . Springer-Verlag . 1976 . 77834357 . en, de.
2. Aynsley . E. E. . 598. The preparation and properties of tellurium dichloride . Journal of the Chemical Society (Resumed) . Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) . 1953 . 0368-1769 . 10.1039/jr9530003016 . 3016.
3. Book: Haaland, Arne . Molecules and models : the molecular structures of main group element compounds . Oxford University Press . Oxford New York . 2008 . 978-0-19-152860-6 . 226969121.
4. Fernholt . Liv . Haaland . Arne . Volden . Hans V. . Kniep . Rüdiger . The molecular structure of tellurium dichloride, TeCl₂, determined by gas electron diffraction . Journal of Molecular Structure . Elsevier BV . 128 . 1–3 . 1985 . 0022-2860 . 10.1016/0022-2860(85)85037-7 . 29–31. free . 1985JMoSt.128...29F .