Formation of Selenanthrene from Diphenyl Selenide and of Dipotassium Triimidotellurite from Diphenyl Telluride

Selenium– and tellurium–nitrogen reagents

The reactivity of the chalcogen–nitrogen bond toward main-group element or transition-metal halides, as well as electrophilic and nucleophilic reagents, is the source of a variety of applications of Se–N and Te–N compounds in both inorganic or organic chemistry. The thermal lability of Se–N compounds also engenders useful transformations including the formation of radicals via homolytic Se–N bond cleavage. These aspects of Se–N and Te–N chemistry will be illustrated with examples from the reactions of the binary selenium nitride Se4N4, selenium–nitrogen halides [N(SeCln)2]+ (n = 1, 2), the synthons E(NSO)2 (E = Se, Te), chalcogen–nitrogen–silicon reagents, chalcogen(IV) diimides RN=E=NR, the triimidotellurite dianion [Te(NtBu)3]2−, chalcogen(II) amides and diamides E(NR2)2 (E = Se, Te; R = alkyl, SiMe3), and heterocyclic systems.

Novel organotellurium(IV) diazides and triazides

New series dialkyltellurium(IV) diazides R(2)Te(N(3))(2) (R = CH(3) (6), C(2)H(5) (7), n-C(3)H(7) (8), i-C(3)H(7) (9), c-C(6)H(11) (10)) and alkyl/aryltellurium(IV) triazides R'Te(N(3))(3) (R' = CH(3) (11), C(2)H(5) (12), n-C(3)H(7) (13), i-C(3)H(7) (14), C(6)H(5) (15), 2,4,6-(CH(3))(3)C(6)H(2) (16)) were synthesized by the straightforward substitution of fluorine atoms in the corresponding tellurium difluorides, or trifluorides respectively, with trimethylsilyl azide. In addition to standard characterization methods, the first crystal structures of covalent organotellurium(IV) triazides 12, 13, 14, and 16 have been determined. Ethyltellurium(IV) triazide, C(2)H(5)Te(N(3))(3) (12), crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P2(1)/n, a = 8.4530(2) A, b = 7.9094(2) A, c = 12.6288(3) A, beta = 91.876(1). n-Propyltellurium(IV) triazide, n-C(3)H(7)Te(N(3))(3) (13), crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P2(1)/n as well, a = 8.7999(2) A, b = 7.9674(2) A, c = 13.2334(3) A, beta = 94.626(1). Isopropyltellurium(IV) triazide, i-C(3)H(7)Te(N(3))(3) (14), crystallizes in the monoclinic space group C2/c, a = 20.058(2) A, b = 6.9620(3) A, c = 15.030(1) A, beta = 114.260(9). Mesityltellurium(IV) triazide, 2,4,6-(CH(3))(3)C(6)H(2)Te(N(3))(3) (16), crystallizes monoclinic as well; the space group is P2(1)/c, a = 7.5503(6) A, b = 23.581(1) A, c = 7.5094(6) A, beta = 91.295(9). The structures and vibrational frequencies of the methyl derivatives dimethyltellurium(IV) diazide (6) and methyltellurium(IV) triazide (11) have been calculated by density functional theory methods and were compared with the experimental metric parameters and vibrational data.