The chemistry of some organotellurium compounds

Tbe formation of Pd(TeR)n and (CuTeR)n from the reaction between telluroesters and Pd(II)or Cu(II) suggested that these organa­tellurium reagents may be useful precursors of RTe- ligands in reactions with transition-metal substrates. Also the formation of telluronium salts Me2RTeI- from the reaction between telluroesters and methyl iodide, together with the above, confirm the cleavage of -cõ-Te bonds rather than -C-Te bonds. The formation of a carboxylic acid from the toluene solution of a ditelluride d palladium(O) complex in the presence of light oxygen (from air) is demonstrated. When the solvent employed is p-xylene an aldehyde is formed.The reaction proceeds via the free radical, RTeO, with Pd(PPh3)4 as a catalyst.It has also been shown that the oxidation of aldehydes to carboxylic acids is catalysed by ditelluride. Spin trapping experiments with PhCH=N(O)But (phenyl-t-butyl-nitrone) have provided evidence that the oxidative addition of an alkyl halide (RX=Mei, BunBr, BusecBr, ButBr, BrCH2-CH=CHCH2Br, and Br(CH2)4Br) to diphenyltelluride and reductive elimination of CH3SCN from Ph2(CH3)Te(NCS) proceeds via radical pathways. A mechanism is proposed for oxidative addition which involves the preformation of a charge transfer complex of alkyl halide and diphenyltelluride.The first step is the formation of a charge transfer complex, and the initial product of the oxidative addition is a "covalent" form of the tellurium(IV)compound. When the radical R is more stable, Ph2TeX2 may be the major tellurium(IV)product. The reaction of RTeNa (R=p-EtOC6H4, Ph) with organic dihalides X2(CH2)n (n=1,2,3,4) affords telluronium salts (n=3,4; X=Cl, Br) the nature of which is discussed.For n=l (X=Br, I)the products are formulated as charge transfer complexes of stoichiometry (RTe)2(CH2).CH2X2• For n=2, elimination of ditelluride occurs with the formation of an alkene. Some 125’Te Mõssbauer data are discussed and it is suggested that the unusually low value of 6 (7.58 mm.s-1 ) for  p-EtO.C6H4.Te)2(cH2)cH2Br2 relates to removal of 5's electronsfrom the spare pair orbltal via the charge transfer interaction. 125Te Mossbauer data for (p-EtO.C6H4)Te(CH2)4Br are typical of a tellurium (IV) compound and in particular ∇ is in the expected range for a telluronium salt. The product of the reaction of Na Te (C6H4.OEt), with 1,3-dibromopropane is, from the Mössbauer data, also a telluronium salt.

The use of organotellurium heterocycles as precursors for novel organometallic compounds

The reactions of group 16 heterocycles with organometallic reagents are described. Thiophenes have been used as models for organic sulfur in coal and their reactivity towards triiron dodecacarbonyl has been investigated. Reaction of unsubstituted thiophene with Fe3(CO)12 results in desulfurisation of the heterocycle, with the organic fragment being recovered in the form of the ferrole, C4H4.Fe2(CO)6. In addition a novel organometallic compound of iron is isolated, the formula of which is shown to be C4H4.Fe3(CO)8. Bezothiophene reacts with Fe3(CO)12 to yield benzothiaferrole, C8H6S.Fe2(CO)6, in which the sulfur is retained in the heterocycle. Dibenzothiophene, a more accurate model for organic sulfur in coal, displays no reactivity towards the iron carbonyl, suggesting that the more condensed systems will desulfurise less readily. Microwave methodology has been successful in accelerating the reactions of thiophenes with Fe3(CO)12. However, reaction of benzothiophene does not proceed to the desulfurisation stage while dibenzothiophene is unreactive even under microwave conditions. Tellurophenes (Te analogues of thiophenes) are shown to mimic the behaviour of thiophenes towards certain organometallic reagents with the advantage that their greater reactivity enables recovery of products in higher yields. Hence, reaction of tellurophene with Fe3(CO)12 again affords the ferrole but with an almost ten-fold increase in yield over thiophene. More significantly, dibenzotellurophene is also detellurated by the iron carbonyl affording the previously inaccessible dibenzoferrole, C12H8.Fe2(CO)6, thereby demonstrating the mechanistic feasibility of dechalcogenation of the more condensed aromatic molecules. The potential of tellurium heterocycles to act as precursors for novel organometallics is also recognised owing to the relatively facile elimination of the heteroatom from these systems. Thus, 2-telluraindane reacts with Fe3(CO)12 to yield a novel organometallic compound of formula C16H16.Fe(CO)3, arising from the unsymmetric dimerisation of two organic fragments.

Organotellurium compounds for metal organic vapour phase epitaxy

The infra-red detector material cadmium mercury telluride can be grown by the technique of Metal Organic Vapour Phase Epitaxy using simple alkyl telluride compounds as the source of tellurium. New tellurium precursors are required in order to overcome handling and toxicity problems and to reduce the growth temperature in preparing the material. A range of diaryltellurium(IV) dicarboxylates and some 2-(2'-pyridyl)phenyl-tellurium(II) and tellurium(IV) monocarboxylates have been synthesised and characterised by infra-red, 13C N.M.R. and mass spectroscopy. Infra-red spectroscopy has been used to determine the mode of bonding of the carboxylate ligand to tellurium. Synthetic methods have been devised for the preparation of diorganotritellurides (R2Te3) and mixed diorganotetrachalcogenides (RTeSeSeTeR). A mechanism for the formation of the tritellurides based on aerobic conditions is proposed. The reaction of ArTe- with (ClCH2CH2)3N leads to tripod-like multidentate ligands (ArTeCH2CH2)3N which form complexes with the ions Hg(II), Cd(II), Cu(I), Pt(II) and Pd(II). Synthetic routes to aryltelluroalkylamines and arylselenoalkylamines are also reported. The crystal structure of 2-(2'-pyridyl)phenyltellurium(II) bromide has been solved in which there are six molecules present within the unit cell. There are no close intermolecular Te---Te interactions and the molecules are stabilised by short Te---N intramolecular contacts. The crystal structure of 2-(2'-pyridyl)phenylselenium(II)-tribromomercurate(II) is also presented. A study of the Raman vibrational spectra of some tellurated azobenzenes and 2-phenylpyridines shows spectra of remarkably far superior quality to those obtained using infra-red spectroscopy.