{"id":368,"date":"2020-04-09T11:18:44","date_gmt":"2020-04-09T11:18:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thechemicalelements.com\/?page_id=368"},"modified":"2023-08-15T10:14:50","modified_gmt":"2023-08-15T10:14:50","slug":"tellurium","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thechemicalelements.com\/tellurium\/","title":{"rendered":"Tellurium (Te)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Tellurium is a chemical element with the atomic number 52 in the periodic table<\/a>. It’s an extremely rarely found element in Earth\u2019s crust. Its occurrence can be compared with that of the element platinum<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Being a member of the chalcogen elements family of the periodic table, this rare, silver<\/a>-white metalloid element possesses the chemical properties of both metals and nonmetals. Element 52 naturally occurs in many tellurium-rich minerals, such as the tellurates and tellurites. It forms numerous compounds that can often be found as natural complexes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Chemical and Physical Properties of Tellurium<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Property<\/strong><\/td>Value<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
Symbol of Tellurium<\/td>Te<\/td><\/tr>
Name<\/td>Tellurium<\/td><\/tr>
Atomic Number of Tellurium<\/td>52<\/td><\/tr>
Group of Tellurium<\/td>Non-Metal<\/td><\/tr>
Crystal Structure of Tellurium<\/td>Hexagonal<\/td><\/tr>
Atomic Weight of Tellurium<\/td>127.6<\/td><\/tr>
Shells of Tellurium<\/td>2,8,18,18,6<\/td><\/tr>
Orbitals of Tellurium<\/td>[Kr] 4d10 5s2 5p4<\/td><\/tr>
Valence of Tellurium<\/td>2,4,6<\/td><\/tr>
Electronegativity according to Pauling<\/td>2.1<\/td><\/tr>
Covalent Radius of Tellurium<\/td>1.36 \u00c5<\/td><\/tr>
Ionic Radius of Tellurium<\/td>.97 (+4) \u00c5<\/td><\/tr>
Atomic Radius of Tellurium<\/td>1.42 \u00c5<\/td><\/tr>
Atomic Volume of Tellurium<\/td>20.5 cm\u00b3\/mol<\/td><\/tr>
Name Origin of Tellurium<\/td>Latin: tellus (earth).<\/td><\/tr>
Discovered By<\/td>Franz M\u00fcller von Reichenstein<\/td><\/tr>
Year<\/td>1782<\/td><\/tr>
Location<\/td>Romania<\/td><\/tr>
Pronounced of Tellurium<\/td>te-LOOR-i-em<\/td><\/tr>
Oxydation States of Tellurium<\/td>-2,(4),6<\/td><\/tr>
Density of Tellurium<\/td>6.24 g\/cm\u00b3<\/td><\/tr>
Uses of Tellurium<\/td>Used to improve the machining quality of copper and stainless steel products and to color glass and ceramics. Also in thermoelectric devices. Some is used in the rubber industry and it is a basic ingredient in manufacturing blasting caps.<\/td><\/tr>
Description of Tellurium<\/td>Shiny, black, non-metalic solid; as a gas it is violet and intensely irritating to the eyes, nose and throat.<\/td><\/tr>
Physical state<\/td>Solid at room temperature<\/td><\/tr>
Half-life<\/td>From less than 18 nanoseconds to 8.2 (0.2 (stat.), 0.6 (syst.))\u00d71020 years<\/td><\/tr>
Isotopes<\/td>39<\/td><\/tr>
Most characteristic isotope<\/td>130Te<\/td><\/tr>
The energy of the first ionization<\/td>869.0 kJ.mol-1<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

With the periodic table symbol Te, atomic number 52, atomic mass of 127.6 g.mol<\/span>-1<\/span>, and electron configuration [Kr] 4d<\/span>10<\/span>5s<\/span>2<\/span>5p<\/span>4<\/span>, tellurium is a crystalline, silvery-white semi-metal substance that shares the properties of both metal and the non-metal elements<\/a> of the periodic table. It reaches its boiling point at 988\u00b0C, 1810\u00b0F, 1261 K, while the melting point is achieved at 449.51\u00b0C, 841.12\u00b0F, 722.66 K. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tellurium is classified as a member of the chalcogen (group 16) family of elements in the periodic table. It has an electronegativity of 2.1 according to Pauling, whereas the atomic radius according to van der Waals is 0.137 nm. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With a hexagonal crystal structure and metallic luster, this semi-metallic element is a brittle substance that is unaffected by water or hydrochloric acid but easily dissolves in nitric acid. When exposed to air, tellurium burns in air with a greenish-blue flame and forms white tellurium dioxide (TeO2). In a chemical reaction with hydrogen<\/a>, tellurium forms only one compound – hydrogen telluride. H2Te is a gas at room temperature.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How Was Tellurium Discovered?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Element 52 was discovered by the Austrian mining official and mineralogist <\/span>Franz-Joseph Muller<\/span><\/a> (1740-1825). During the 1700s, the chemists of that time were somewhat puzzled by the substance that could be traced in a wide range of minerals. They labeled it \u201caurum paradoxum\u201d and \u2018\u2018metallum problematum\u201d because its chemical behavior resembled both the metals and the non-metals. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1782, Muller conducted an analysis of Transylvanian gold ore. He decided to purify it, in an effort to prove his belief that this ore contains antimony<\/a>. Today we know that this ore was actually gold telluride (AuTe<\/span>2<\/span>), also known as <\/span>calaverite<\/span><\/i>. The results he obtained from his experiment proved him wrong, but at the same time encouraged him to believe that he was en route to discovering a new element. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Searching for additional scientific confirmation, Muller sent a sample of the substance he isolated to Swedish chemist and mineralogist Torbern Bergman (1735-1784) in Uppsala, Sweden. His fellow chemist agreed that the sample did not contain any antimony, and expressed an interest to do further research on the substance. Unfortunately, Bergman passed away soon after it. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For some time, Franz-Joseph Muller was preoccupied with other researchers. In 1796, he renewed his interest in the substance with strange behavior and asked the German chemist Martin H. Klaproth (1743 \u2013 1817) to help him clarify the mystery surrounding the new element. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After two years of research on the sample in his Berlin laboratory, Martin Heinrich Klaproth was proud to present his findings on the new element of the periodic table, after successfully isolating the new substance. Klaproth named the new lament <\/span>tellurium<\/span><\/i> but gave all credits for the discovery of element 52 to Franz Joseph M\u00fcller von Reichenstein.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How Did Tellurium Get Its Name?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The name <\/span>tellurium<\/span><\/i> of element 52 originates from the Latin word ‘<\/span>tellus<\/span><\/i>‘, which is a term referring to Earth.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Where Can You Find Tellurium?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Tellurium mostly occurs in minerals, including krennerite, calaverite, and sylvanite. However, none of these minerals are mined as the main source of this chemical element. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For commercial purposes, tellurium is most often obtained as a byproduct from the anode muds resulting from the electrolytic refining of blister copper<\/a>. The world\u2019s largest producers of tellurium are Japan, Peru, Canada, and the United States.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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List of Telluride Minerals <\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The list of other tellurium-rich minerals includes the following items:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n