Tellurium (pronounced /tɪˈlʊəriəm, tɛ-/ te-LOOR-ee-əm) is a chemical element that has the symbol Te and atomic number 52. A brittle, mildly toxic, silver-white metalloid which looks similar to tin, tellurium is chemically related to selenium and sulfur. Tellurium is primarily used in alloys and as a semiconductor.
Tellurium belongs to the same chemical family as oxygen, sulfur, selenium, and polonium: the chalcogen family.
When crystalline, tellu...
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Tellurium (pronounced /tɪˈlʊəriəm, tɛ-/ te-LOOR-ee-əm) is a chemical element that has the symbol Te and atomic number 52. A brittle, mildly toxic, silver-white metalloid which looks similar to tin, tellurium is chemically related to selenium and sulfur. Tellurium is primarily used in alloys and as a semiconductor.
Tellurium belongs to the same chemical family as oxygen, sulfur, selenium, and polonium: the chalcogen family.
When crystalline, tellurium is silvery-white and when it is in pure state it has a metallic luster. It is a brittle and easily pulverized metalloid. Amorphous tellurium is found by precipitating it from a solution of tellurous or telluric acid (Te(OH)6). However, there is some debate whether this form is really amorphous or made of minute crystals.
Tellurium is in the same group as sulfur and selenium and forms similar compounds. It exhibits the oxidation states −2, +2, +4, and +6, with the +4 state being most common.
The −2 oxidation state is exhibited in binary...
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