Tellurol

Tellurol

Tellurols are analogues of alcohols and phenols where tellurium replaces oxygen. Tellurols, selenol, and thiols have similar properties, but tellurols are the least stable. Although they are fundamental representatives of organotellurium compounds, tellurols are lightly studied because of their...

s are analogues of alcohols and phenols where tellurium replaces oxygen. Tellurols, selenol

Selenol

Selenols are organic compounds that contain the functional group with the connectivity C-Se-H. Selenols are sometimes also called selenamercaptans, selenathiols, and selenothiols. Selenols are one of the principal classes of organoselenium compounds...

, and thiol

Thiol

In organic chemistry, a thiol is an organosulfur compound that contains a carbon-bonded sulfhydryl group...

s have similar properties, but tellurols are the least stable. Although they are fundamental representatives of organotellurium compounds, tellurols are lightly studied because of their instability. Tellurol derivatives include telluroesters (RC(O)TsR') and tellurocyanates (RTeCN).

Properties

Alkyltellurols are yellow liquids with a strong odors. Aryltellurols form colorless crystals. More stable than these compounds are the organoelement tellurols. These fairly stable compounds have the formulae (Me₃Si)₃CTeH, (Me₃Si)₃SiTeH, and (Me₃Si)₃GeTeH.

Acid-base properties

The acidity of tellurols can be inferred by the acidity and dissociation constant of hydrogen telluride

Hydrogen telluride

Hydrogen telluride is the inorganic compound with the formula H2Te. The simplest hydride of tellurium, it is rarely encountered because of it decomposes rapidly to the constituent elements. Most compounds with Te-H bonds are unstable with respect to loss of H2. H2Te is chemically and structurally...

, H₂Te, which has a (first) pK_a of 2.64 corresponding to a dissociation constant of 2.3 × 10^-3.5. H₂Te has a lower pK_a and higher dissociation constant than H₂S and H₂Se.

The absence of hydrogen-bonding explains the low boiling temperature of tellurols. The Te-H bond in tellurols is weak. Tellurols are easily oxidized and decompose thermally. Ultraviolet light also induces decomposition. Methanetellurol decomposes to dimethyl ditelluride and hydrogen

Hydrogen

Hydrogen is the chemical element with atomic number 1. It is represented by the symbol H. With an average atomic weight of , hydrogen is the lightest and most abundant chemical element, constituting roughly 75% of the Universe's chemical elemental mass. Stars in the main sequence are mainly...

.

Preparation

The first tellurol to be synthesized, ethane tellurol, was prepared in 1926 via the Grignard reagent. The most frequently used method involves reduction of the ditellurides (R₂Te₂).