Short Te ? Te bonding contacts in a new layered ternary telluride: Synthesis and crystal structure of 2D Nb3GexTe6 (x ? 0.9)

Chalcogen-rich lanthanide clusters: compounds with Te(2-), (TeTe)(2-), TePh, TeTePh, (TeTeTe(Ph)TeTe)(5-), and [(TeTe)(4)TePh](9-) ligands; single source precursors to solid-state lanthanide tellurides

Lanthanide metals react with PhTeTePh and elemental Te in pyridine to give (py)(y)Ln(4)(Te)(TeTe)(2)(TeTeTe(Ph)TeTe)(Te(x)TePh) (Ln = Sm (y = 9; x = 0); Tb, Ho (y = 8, x = 0.1)), and (py)(7)Tm(4)(Te)[(TeTe)(4)TePh](Te(0.6)TePh) clusters. The Sm, Tb, and Ho compounds contain a square array of Ln(III) ions all connected to a central Te(2-) ligand. Two adjacent edges of the square are bridged by ditelluride ligands, with the Ln ion that is eta(2) bound to both of these TeTe ligands also coordinating to a terminal TePh ligand. The other two edges of the square are spanned by ditellurides that both coordinate a TePh ligand that has been displaced from the Ln ion by pyridine, to give the pentaanion (mu-eta(2)-eta(2)-Te(2)Te(Ph)Te(2)).(5-) In the Tm compound, the displaced TePh interacts with all four TeTe units. The compounds are air-, light-, and temperature-sensitive. Upon thermolysis, they decompose to give solid-state TbTe(2-x), HoTe, or TmTe, with elimination of Te and TePh(2).