Synthesis and Single Crystal X-ray Studies of Dimesityl Ditelluride: [2,4,6-Me3C6H2Te]2

The reaction of freshly prepared mesityl magnesium bromide with tellurium powder in anhydrous THF provided the dimesityl ditelluride: [2,4,6-Me3C6H2Te]2. A suitable needle-shaped crystal of dimesityl ditelluride was developed by evaporation of a solution in chloroform. The Te compound was developed with the orthorhombic space group Iba2 with a = 15.2916(7) A, b = 15.7225(7) A, c = 14.5272(7) A and α,β,γ = 90°. The geometry about the central tellurium atoms adopt a bent-shaped geometry with torsion angle C10–Te2–Tel–C1 = 87.0(3)° and this may be considered a cisoid conformation. Intermolecular C–H....Te interactions give rise to a two-dimensional supramolecular synthons in its crystalline state. The crystal packing diagram shows Te....H [Te1....H5A, 3.2557(5) A & Te1....H8C, 3.2578(5) A] hydrogen-bonding interactions which are responsible for associative forces.