Tellurium iodide


Tellurium iodide is an inorganic compound with the formula TeI. Two forms are known. Their structures differ from the other monohalides of tellurium. There are three subiodides of tellurium, α-TeI, β-TeI, and Te2I, and one tellurium tetraiodide.

Preparation and properties

TeI is a gray solid formed by the hydrothermal reaction of tellurium metal and iodine in hydroiodic acid. When this reaction is conducted near 270 °C gives the α-TeI, which is triclinic. When the same mixture is heated to 150 °C, one obtains the metastable monoclinic phase β-TeI. The compounds are related structurally to Te2I, but the additional iodide groups do not bridge to other Te centers.
The corresponding monochloride and monobromide are molecular compounds with the formula Te2X2.

Tellurium diiodide

Although TeI2 has not been isolated in bulk, complexes of the type TeI22 are well characterized. These complexes precipitate upon treatment of aqueous solutions of the related tellurium dibromide complex with sodium iodide.