While there are many organometallic complexes that are commonly used as synthetic targets for upper-level inorganic chemistry courses, those utilizing p-block metals are quite rare. We have designed an expeditious procedure to prepare diphenyl ditelluride that can be fully completed in a 4-hour laboratory period. This laboratory exercise can serve as a transition between the organic and inorganic curriculum, an introduction to the handling of air-/moisture-sensitive substances and reintroduction to several critical laboratory skills. Students completed characterization of their products via melting point, UV-vis spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and multinuclear NMR (125Te{1H}, 13C{1H}, and 1H). An additional molecular modeling supplement has been designed to facilitate exploration of the effects of atomic size and propensity towards hybridization on observable structural parameters for related dichalcogenides.

Diphenyl ditelluride: An inorganic laboratory exercise featuring a main group organometallic target

ACS Spring Meeting 2021

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