The Synthesis of Ternary Acetylides with Tellurium: Li2TeC2 and Na2TeC2

TL;DR

This paper reports the first synthesis of ternary acetylides with metalloid tellurium, expanding the scope of acetylide chemistry beyond transition metals using liquid ammonia reactions.

Contribution

It introduces a novel synthesis method for Li2TeC2 and Na2TeC2, the first ternary acetylides with metalloid elements, and discusses implications for future synthesis of similar compounds.

Findings

Successful synthesis of Li2TeC2 and Na2TeC2.

Crystalline structures characterized by x-ray diffraction.

Potential pathways for synthesizing other metalloid-based acetylides.

Abstract

The synthesis of ternary acetylides Li2TeC2 and Na2TeC2 is presented as the first example of ternary acetylides with metalloid elements instead of transition metals. The synthesis was carried out by the direct reaction of the corresponding bialkali acetylides with tellurium powder in liquid ammonia. Alternatively, the synthesis of Na2TeC2 was also carried out by the direct reaction of tellurium powder and two equivalents of NaC2H in liquid ammonia leading to Na2TeC2 and acetylene gas through an equilibrium containing the assumed NaTeC2H molecules besides the reactants and the products. The resulting crystalline materials were characterized by x-ray diffraction. Implications of these new syntheses on the synthesis of other ternary acetylides with metalloid elements and transition metals are also discussed.