Tellurium (Te)
metalloidSolid
Standard Atomic Weight
127.6 uElectron configuration
[Kr] 5s2 4d10 5p4Melting point
449.51 °CBoiling point
987.85 °CDensity
6232 kg/m³Oxidation states
−2, −1, 0, +1, +2, +3, +4, +5, +6Electronegativity (Pauling)
2.1Ionization energy (1st)
9.009808 eVDiscovery year
1782Atomic radius
140 pmDetails
Tellurium is a brittle metalloid in group 16, below selenium and above polonium. It is chemically related to sulfur and selenium but is more metallic, less abundant, and more easily reduced. In nature it occurs mainly as telluride minerals and as a minor constituent of copper ores. Its technological importance comes from semiconducting and thermoelectric compounds, cadmium telluride photovoltaics, and small alloying additions that modify machinability and corrosion behavior.
Crystalline tellurium has a silvery-white appearance, and when pure it exhibits a metallic luster. It is brittle and easily pulverized. Amorphous tellurium is found by precipitating tellurium from a solution of telluric or tellurous acid. Whether this form is truly amorphous, or made of minute crystals, is open to question. Tellurium is a p-type semiconductor, and shows greater conductivity in certain directions, depending on alignment of the atoms.
Its conductivity increases slightly with exposure to light. It can be doped with silver, copper, gold, tin, or other elements. In air, tellurium burns with a greenish-blue flames, forming the dioxide. Molten tellurium corrodes iron, copper, and stainless steel.
The name derives from the Latin Tellus, who was the Roman goddess of the Earth. Tellurium was discovered by Franz Joseph Müller von Reichenstein in 1782 and overlooked for 15 years until it was isolated by the German chemist Martin-Heinrich Klaproth in 1798. The Hungarian chemist Paul Kitaibel independently discovered tellurium in 1789, prior to Klaproth's work but after von Reichenstein.
Tellurium was discovered by Franz Joseph Müller von Reichenstein, a Romanian mining official, in 1782. Reichenstein was the chief inspector of all mines, smelters and saltworks in Transylvania. He also had an interest in chemistry and extracted a new metal from an ore of gold, known as aurum album, which he believed was antimony. He shortly realized that the metal he had produced wasn't antimony at all, but a previously unknown element. Reichenstein's work was forgotten until 1798 when Martin Heinrich Klaproth, a German chemist, mentioned the substance in a paper. Klaproth named the new element tellurium but gave full credit for its discovery to Reichenstein. Tellurium is found free in nature, but is most often found in the ores sylvanite (AgAuTe4), calaverite (AuTe2) and krennerite (AuTe2). Today, most tellurium is obtained as a byproduct of mining and refining copper.
From the Latin word tellus, earth. Discovered by Muller von Reichenstein in 1782; named by Klaproth, who isolated it in 1798.
Pure tellurium is a silvery-white to gray, lustrous, crystalline solid at ordinary conditions. It is brittle and can be powdered, but it is not malleable. The common trigonal form has helical chains of atoms, giving the element anisotropic electrical and thermal properties.
The largest modern use of tellurium is in cadmium telluride, CdTe, thin-film solar cells. Tellurium is also used in bismuth telluride, Bi₂Te₃, and related thermoelectric materials for cooling and power generation from temperature differences. Small additions to copper, steel, and lead improve machinability or modify mechanical properties. Tellurium compounds are used in some infrared optical materials, phase-change chalcogenide systems, and specialized vulcanization and glass applications, but these uses are smaller and material-specific.
Tellurium is a semiconductor and is frequently doped with copper, tin, gold or silver. Tellurium is also used to color glass and ceramics and is one of the primary ingredients in blasting caps.
Tellurium is primarily used as an alloying agent. Small amounts of tellurium are added to copper and stainless steel to make them easier to machine and mill. Tellurium is also added to lead to increase its strength and resistance to sulfuric acid (H2SO4).
Tellurium forms many compounds, but none that are commercially important. They include: tellourous acid (H2TeO2), tellurium tetrachloride (TeCl4), tellurium dichloride (TeCl2), tellurium trioxide (TeO3), tellurium monoxide (TeO) and sodium telluride (Na2Te).
Tellurium improves the machinability of copper and stainless steel, and its addition to lead decreases the corrosive action of sulfuric acid on lead and improves its strength and hardness. Tellurium is used as a basic ingredient in blasting caps, and is added to cast iron for chill control. Tellurium is used in ceramics. Bismuth telluride has been used in thermoelectric devices.
Isotopes in Earth/Planetary Science
Tellurium isotopes are a mixture of r-process, s-process, and p-process nucleosynthesis products, making them useful for studying the contribution of stellar products to the molecular cloud from which the Sun and planets were formed (Fig. IUPAC.52.1) [378] M. Fehr. Tellurium Isotopes and their Applications in Cosmo- and Geochemistry, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (2014), Feb. 26; http://e-collection.library.ethz.ch/eserv/eth:27380/eth-27380-01.pdf., [379] M. A. Fehr, M. Rehkämper, D. Porcelli, A. N. Halliday. Homogeneity of Tellurium Isotopes in Chondrites, Leachates of Allende and Canyon Diablo, Lunar and Planetary Science (2014), Feb. 26; http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2003/pdf/1655.pdf., [380] M. A. Fehr, M. Rehkämper, A. N. Halliday, U. Wiechert, B. Hattendorf, D. Günther, S. Ono, J. L. Eigenbrode, I. D. Rumble. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta69, 5099 (2005)..
Isotopes in Geochronology
The double beta decay of 130Te (with a half-life of 7×1020 years) has been used for the determination of gas-retention ages of tellurium minerals [382] A. P. Meshik, C. M. Hohenberg, O. V. Pravdivtseva, T. J. Bernatowicz, Y. S. Kapustab. Nucl. Phys. A809, 275 (2008)..
Isotopes Used as a Source of Radioactive Isotope(s)
120Te is used for the production of 120gI, where “g” indicates ground state, via the 120Te (p, n) 120gI reaction, which is used as a positron emission tomography (PET) and beta-emitting isotope [383] A. Hohn, H. H. Coenen, S. M. Qaim. Appl. Radiat. Isot.49, 1493 (1998)., [384] H. Herzog, S. M. Qaim, L. Tellmann, S. Spellerberg, D. Kruecker, H. H. Coenen. Eur. J. Nucl. Med. Mol. Imaging33, 1249 (2006).. 120gI has a half-life of 1.36 h. 122Te is used in the production of the radioisotope 122I (with a half-life of 3.6 min) via the reaction 122Te (p, n) 122I, which is used in gamma imaging [385] A. Hohn, B. Scholten, H. H. Coenen, S. M. Qaim, Appl. Radiat. Isot.49, 93 (1998).. 123Te is used for the production of radioactive 123I (with a half-life of 13.2 h) via the 123Te (p, n) 123I reaction, which is used in thyroid imaging [386] T. Kakavand, M. Sadeghi, K. K. Moghaddam, S. S. Bonab, B. Fateh. Iran. J. Radiat. Res.5, 207 (2008). and for in vivo medical studies using single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) [386] T. Kakavand, M. Sadeghi, K. K. Moghaddam, S. S. Bonab, B. Fateh. Iran. J. Radiat. Res.5, 207 (2008).. 124Te is used for the production of both 123I and the PET isotope 124I via the 124Te (p, 2n) 123I and 124Te (p, n) 124I reactions, respectively [386] T. Kakavand, M. Sadeghi, K. K. Moghaddam, S. S. Bonab, B. Fateh. Iran. J. Radiat. Res.5, 207 (2008)., [387] M. L. Firouzbakht, D. J. Schlyer, R. D. Finn, G. Laguzzi, A. P. Wolf. Nucl. Instr. Methods Phys. Res. B79, 909 (1993)., [388] H. Herzog, L. Tellman, S. M. Qaim, S. Spellerberg, A. Schmid, H. H. Coenen. Appl. Radiat. Isot.56, 673 (2002)., [389] F. T. Lee, C. Hall, A. Rigopoulos, J. Zweit, K. Pathmaraj, G. J. O’Keefe, F. E. Smyth, S. Welt, L. J. Old, A. M. Scott. J. Nucl. Med.42, 764 (2001).. The half-life of 124I is 100 h.
Tellurium commonly shows oxidation states −2, +4, and +6, with +4 especially important in oxides and oxoanion chemistry. Hydrogen telluride, H₂Te, is an unstable and highly toxic hydride. Tellurium dioxide, TeO₂, is an amphoteric oxide used in tellurite glasses and as a chemical intermediate. Telluric acid, H₆TeO₆, contains tellurium in the +6 state. Metal tellurides include cadmium telluride, CdTe, and bismuth telluride, Bi₂Te₃, whose bonding and band structures are central to their electronic uses.
See more information at the Tellurium compound page.
Elemental tellurium has moderate acute toxicity, but dusts and fumes should be controlled because inhalation and ingestion can be harmful. Exposure to tellurium or some tellurium compounds can produce a persistent garlic-like odor in breath and sweat from volatile metabolites. Hydrogen telluride, H₂Te, is particularly hazardous. Cadmium telluride, CdTe, also requires controls because cadmium compounds are toxic, especially if dust is generated during manufacture or disposal.
Tellurium and its compounds are probably toxic and should be handled with care. Workmen exposed to as little as 0.01 mg/m3 of air, or less, develop "tellurium breath," which has a garlic-like odor.
Tellurium is a rare trace element in the crust and is strongly chalcophile, concentrating with sulfide and telluride mineral assemblages rather than forming abundant independent deposits. Weathering can release tellurium into soils and waters, where its speciation depends on redox conditions and pH. Tellurite and tellurate species can be mobile under some conditions, while reduction and adsorption tend to immobilize it. It has no known essential biological role for humans.
Tellurium is not usually mined as a primary product. Most commercial supply is recovered as a by-product from copper refining, especially from anode slimes produced during electrolytic purification. This dependence makes supply sensitive to copper ore composition, refinery practice, and the economics of by-product recovery rather than to tellurium demand alone. Demand is led by cadmium telluride photovoltaics and thermoelectric materials, with smaller metallurgical and chemical uses. Recycling is technically possible from manufacturing scrap and some end-of-life devices, but collection and separation can limit recovery.
Tellurium is occasionally found native, but is more often found as the telluride of gold (calaverite), and combined with other metals. It is recovered commercially from anode muds produced during the electrolytic refining of blister copper. The U.S., Canada, Peru, and Japan are the largest Free World producers of the element.
Tellurium is far less abundant in the universe than lighter chalcogens such as sulfur and selenium. Its stable isotopes are produced mainly by neutron-capture processes in earlier generations of stars, including slow and rapid neutron-capture pathways. In planetary materials it behaves as a chalcophile element and is associated with sulfide-rich phases rather than silicate minerals.
- Tellurium was named from tellus, the Latin word for Earth.
- It is one of the few elements whose name refers to Earth rather than a celestial object or place of discovery.
- Natural tellurium contains several stable isotopes and very long-lived radioactive isotopes.
- The element can impart a garlic-like odor to breath at exposures far below severe poisoning levels.
- Tellurium improves the machinability of copper without requiring large alloy additions.
- Many useful tellurium materials are semiconductors rather than metallic conductors.
Images
Properties
Physical
- Atomic radius (empirical)
- 140 pm Compare Atomic radius (empirical) of all elements →
- Covalent radius
- 138 pm Compare Covalent radius of all elements →
- Van der Waals radius
- 206 pm Compare Van der Waals radius of all elements →
- Metallic radius
- 137 pm Compare Metallic radius of all elements →
- Density
- 6232 kg/m³ Compare Density of all elements →
- Molar volume
- 0.0205 L/mol
- Phase at STP
- Solid Compare Phase at STP of all elements →
- Melting point
- 449.51 °C Compare Melting point of all elements →
- Boiling point
- 987.85 °C Compare Boiling point of all elements →
- Thermal conductivity
- 14.3 W/(m·K) Compare Thermal conductivity of all elements →
- Specific heat capacity
- 0.202 J/(g·K) Compare Specific heat capacity of all elements →
- Molar heat capacity
- 25.73 J/(mol·K) Compare Molar heat capacity of all elements →
- Crystal structure
- Hexagonal close-packed Compare Crystal structure of all elements →
Chemical
- Electronegativity (Pauling)
- 2.1 Compare Electronegativity (Pauling) of all elements →
- Electronegativity (Allen)
- 2.158
- Electron affinity
- 1.9708 eV
- Ionization energy (1st)
- 9.009808 eV Compare Ionization energy (1st) of all elements →
- Ionization energy (2nd)
- 18.600064 eV Compare Ionization energy (2nd) of all elements →
- Ionization energy (3rd)
- 27.840096 eV Compare Ionization energy (3rd) of all elements →
- Ionization energy (4th)
- 37.415629 eV Compare Ionization energy (4th) of all elements →
- Ionization energy (5th)
- 59.300204 eV Compare Ionization energy (5th) of all elements →
- Oxidation states
- −2, −1, 0, +1, +2, +3, +4, +5, +6 Compare Oxidation states of all elements →
- Valence electrons
- 6 Compare Valence electrons of all elements →
- Electron configuration
- [Kr] 5s2 4d10 5p4
Thermodynamic
- Critical point (temperature)
- 2056 °C
- Heat of fusion
- 0.1812717 eV Compare Heat of fusion of all elements →
- Heat of vaporization
- 0.54412603 eV Compare Heat of vaporization of all elements →
- Heat of sublimation
- 2.041768 eV
- Heat of atomization
- 2.041768 eV
- Atomization enthalpy
- 2.037622 eV
Nuclear
- Protons
- 52 Compare Protons of all elements →
- Neutrons
- 74 Compare Neutrons of all elements →
- Known isotopes
- 42 Compare Known isotopes of all elements →
- Stable isotopes
- 4 Compare Stable isotopes of all elements →
- Most stable isotope
- Te-126
- Discovery year
- 1782
Abundance
- Abundance (Earth's crust)
- 0.001 mg/kg Compare Abundance (Earth's crust) of all elements →
Crystal Structure
- Lattice constant a
- 445 pm
Electronic Structure
- Electrons per shell
- 2, 8, 18, 18, 6 Compare Electrons per shell of all elements →
Identifiers
- CAS number
- 13494-80-9 Compare CAS number of all elements →
- Term symbol
- 3P2
- InChI
- InChI=1S/Te
- InChI Key
- PORWMNRCUJJQNO-UHFFFAOYSA-N
Electron Configuration Measured
Te: 4d¹⁰ 5s² 5p⁴[Kr] 4d¹⁰ 5s² 5p⁴1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 3d¹⁰ 4s² 4p⁶ 4d¹⁰ 5s² 5p⁴Atomic model
Isotopes change neutron count, mass, and stability — not the electron configuration of a neutral atom.
Schematic atomic model, not to scale.
Atomic Fingerprint
Emission / Absorption Spectrum
Isotope Distribution
| Mass number | Atomic mass (u) | Natural abundance | Half-life |
|---|---|---|---|
| 122 Stable | 121.9030435 ± 0.0000016 | 2.5500% | Stable |
| 124 Stable | 123.9028171 ± 0.0000016 | 4.7400% | Stable |
| 125 Stable | 124.9044299 ± 0.0000016 | 7.0700% | Stable |
| 126 Stable | 125.9033109 ± 0.0000016 | 18.8400% | Stable |
Phase / State
Reason: 424.5 °C below melting point (449.51 °C)
Schematic, not to scale
Phase transition points
Transition energies
Energy required to melt 1 mol at melting point
Energy required to vaporize 1 mol at boiling point
Energy required to sublime 1 mol at sublimation point
Density
At standard conditions
At standard conditions
Advanced
Atomic Spectra
Showing 10 of 52. Sorted by ion charge (ascending).
Lines Holdings ?
| Ion | Charge | Total lines | Transition probabilities | Level designations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Te I | 0 | 133 | 6 | 112 |
| Te II | +1 | 345 | 0 | 310 |
Levels Holdings ?
| Ion | Charge | Levels |
|---|---|---|
| Te I | 0 | 120 |
| Te II | +1 | 129 |
| Te III | +2 | 55 |
| Te IV | +3 | 16 |
| Te V | +4 | 45 |
| Te VI | +5 | 9 |
| Te VII | +6 | 60 |
| Te VIII | +7 | 2 |
| Te IX | +8 | 2 |
| Te X | +9 | 2 |
Ionic Radii
| Charge | Coordination | Spin | Radius |
|---|---|---|---|
| -2 | 6 | N/A | 221 pm |
| +4 | 3 | N/A | 52 pm |
| +4 | 4 | N/A | 66 pm |
| +4 | 6 | N/A | 97 pm |
| +6 | 4 | N/A | 43 pm |
| +6 | 6 | N/A | 56.00000000000001 pm |
Compounds
Isotopes (4)
Thirty isotopes of tellurium are known, with atomic masses ranging from 108 to 137. Natural tellurium consists of eight isotopes.
| Mass number | Atomic mass (u) | Natural abundance | Half-life | Decay mode | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 122 Stable | 121.9030435 ± 0.0000016 | 2.5500% ± 0.1200% | Stable | stable | |
| 124 Stable | 123.9028171 ± 0.0000016 | 4.7400% ± 0.1400% | Stable | stable | |
| 125 Stable | 124.9044299 ± 0.0000016 | 7.0700% ± 0.1500% | Stable | stable | |
| 126 Stable | 125.9033109 ± 0.0000016 | 18.8400% ± 0.2500% | Stable | stable |
Spectral Lines
Showing 50 of 74. Only spectral lines with measured intensity are shown by default.
| Wavelength (nm) | Intensity | Ion stage | Type | Transition | Accuracy | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 486.623 nm | 2300 | Te II | emission | 5s2.5p2.(3P).6p 4D* → 5s2.5p2.(3P).6d 4F | Measured | NIST | |
| 557.636 nm | 2100 | Te II | emission | 5s2.5p2.(1D).6s 2D → 5s2.5p2.(1D).6p 2F* | Measured | NIST | |
| 570.812 nm | 1900 | Te II | emission | 5s2.5p2.(3P).6s 4P → 5s2.5p2.(3P).6p 4D* | Measured | NIST | |
| 483.13 nm | 1600 | Te II | emission | 5s2.5p2.(3P).6p 4D* → 5s2.5p2.(3P).6d 4P | Measured | NIST | |
| 564.926 nm | 1500 | Te II | emission | 5s2.5p2.(3P).6s 4P → 5s2.5p2.(3P).6p 4D* | Measured | NIST | |
| 575.586 nm | 1500 | Te II | emission | 5s2.5p2.(3P).6s 4P → 5s2.5p2.(3P).6p 4D* | Measured | NIST | |
| 544.984 nm | 1400 | Te II | emission | 5s2.5p2.(3P).6s 4P → 5s2.5p2.(3P).6p 4P* | Measured | NIST | |
| 468.691 nm | 1310 | Te II | emission | 5s2.5p2.(3P).6p 4P* → 5s2.5p2.(3P).6d 4D | Measured | NIST | |
| 476.605 nm | 1300 | Te II | emission | 5s2.5p2.(3P).6p 2D* → 5s2.5p2.(3P).6d 2F | Measured | NIST | |
| 490.442 nm | 1300 | Te II | emission | 5s2.5p2.(3P).6p 2D* → 5s2.5p2.(3P).6d 2F | Measured | NIST | |
| 566.622 nm | 1200 | Te II | emission | 5s2.5p2.(3P).6s 2P → 5s2.5p2.(3P).6p 2D* | Measured | NIST | |
| 597.468 nm | 1200 | Te II | emission | 5s2.5p2.(3P).6s 4P → 5s2.5p2.(3P).6p 4P* | Measured | NIST | |
| 548.795 nm | 1100 | Te II | emission | 5s2.5p2.(3P).5d 2P → 5s2.5p2.(3P).6p 4D* | Measured | NIST | |
| 484.29 nm | 1000 | Te II | emission | 5s2.5p2.(3P).5d 2D → 5s2.5p2.(3P).4f 4D* | Measured | NIST | |
| 486.513 nm | 1000 | Te II | emission | 5s2.5p2.(3P).6p 4D* → 5s2.5p2.(3P).6d 4D | Measured | NIST | |
| 482.712 nm | 900 | Te II | emission | 5s2.5p2.(3P).6p 4P* → 5s2.5p2.(3P).6d 4D | Measured | NIST | |
| 447.865 nm | 830 | Te II | emission | 5s2.5p2.(3P).6p 4P* → 5s2.5p2.(3P).6d 4D | Measured | NIST | |
| 500.081 nm | 810 | Te II | emission | 5s2.5p2.(3P).6s 4P → 5s2.5p2.(3P).6p 2D* | Measured | NIST | |
| 477.155 nm | 800 | Te II | emission | 5s2.5p2.(3P).6p 4D* → 5s2.5p2.(3P).6d 4F | Measured | NIST | |
| 593.615 nm | 730 | Te II | emission | 5s2.5p2.(3P).6s 4P → 5s2.5p2.(3P).6p 4S* | Measured | NIST | |
| 464.111 nm | 680 | Te II | emission | 5s2.5p2.(3P).6p 4D* → 5s2.5p2.(3P).6d 4D | Measured | NIST | |
| 470.654 nm | 670 | Te II | emission | 5s2.5p2.(1D).6s 2D → 5s2.5p2.(1D).6p 2P* | Measured | NIST | |
| 436.402 nm | 650 | Te II | emission | 5s2.5p2.(3P).5d 4P → 5s2.5p2.(3P).4f 4D* | Measured | NIST | |
| 636.713 nm | 570 | Te II | emission | 5s.(2S).5p4.(1D) 2D → 5s2.5p2.(3P).6p 4D* | Measured | NIST | |
| 469.638 nm | 560 | Te II | emission | 5s2.5p2.(3P).5d 4P → 5s2.5p2.(3P).4f 2D* | Measured | NIST | |
| 416.977 nm | 540 | Te II | emission | 5s2.5p2.(3P).5d 2D → 5s2.5p2.(3P).4f 2F* | Measured | NIST | |
| 463.062 nm | 540 | Te II | emission | 5s2.5p2.(3P).6p 4S* → 5s2.5p2.(3P).7s 2P | Measured | NIST | |
| 478.488 nm | 510 | Te II | emission | 5s2.5p2.(1D).6s 2D → 5s2.5p2.(1D).6p 2P* | Measured | NIST | |
| 455.778 nm | 480 | Te II | emission | 5s2.5p2.(3P).6p 4S* → 5s2.5p2.(3P).6d 4D | Measured | NIST | |
| 683.7663 nm | 430 | Te I | emission | 5p3.(4S*).6p 5P → 5p3.(4S*).8d 5D* | Measured | NIST | |
| 404.716 nm | 400 | Te II | emission | 5s2.5p2.(3P).5d 4P → 5s2.5p2.(3P).4f 2D* | Measured | NIST | |
| 428.583 nm | 370 | Te II | emission | 5s2.5p2.(3P).6p 2S* → 5s2.5p2.(3P).6d 4D | Measured | NIST | |
| 394.798 nm | 340 | Te II | emission | 5s2.5p2.(3P).5d 4P → 5s2.5p2.(3P).4f 4F* | Measured | NIST | |
| 422.572 nm | 340 | Te II | emission | 5s2.5p2.(3P).5d 4P → 5s2.5p2.(3P).4f 4D* | Measured | NIST | |
| 396.921 nm | 320 | Te II | emission | 5s.(2S).5p4.(1D) 2D → 5s2.5p2.(1D).6p 2D* | Measured | NIST | |
| 410.105 nm | 320 | Te II | emission | 5s2.5p2.(1D).5d 2S → 5s2.5p2.(3P).4f 2D* | Measured | NIST | |
| 412.732 nm | 320 | Te II | emission | 5s2.5p2.(1D).5d 2S → 5s2.5p2.(3P).4f 4D* | Measured | NIST | |
| 496.187 nm | 320 | Te II | emission | 5s2.5p2.(3P).6p 4P* → 5s2.5p2.(3P).6d 4D | Measured | NIST | |
| 400.653 nm | 310 | Te II | emission | 5s.(2S).5p4.(3P) 4P → 5s2.5p2.(3P).6p 4D* | Measured | NIST | |
| 438.51 nm | 310 | Te II | emission | 5s2.5p2.(3P).5d 4P → 5s2.5p2.(3P).4f 2D* | Measured | NIST | |
| 417.929 nm | 300 | Te II | emission | 5s2.5p2.(3P).5d 4P → 5s2.5p2.(1S).6p 2P* | Measured | NIST | |
| 427.343 nm | 300 | Te II | emission | 5s2.5p2.(3P).6p 2S* → 5s2.5p2.(3P).7s 2P | Measured | NIST | |
| 679.109 nm | 300 | Te I | emission | 5p3.(4S*).6p 5P → 5p3.(4S*).8d 3D* | Measured | NIST | |
| 669.0154 nm | 290 | Te I | emission | 5p3.(4S*).6p 5P → 5p3.(4S*).8d 5D* | Measured | NIST | |
| 453.708 nm | 260 | Te II | emission | 5s2.5p2.(3P).5d 4P → 5s2.5p2.(3P).4f 4F* | Measured | NIST | |
| 397.592 nm | 250 | Te II | emission | 5s.(2S).5p4.(1D) 2D → 5s2.5p2.(1D).6p 2F* | Measured | NIST | |
| 416.356 nm | 250 | Te II | emission | 5s2.5p2.(3P).5d 4P → 5s2.5p2.(3P).4f 4D* | Measured | NIST | |
| 398.176 nm | 240 | Te II | emission | 5s2.5p2.(3P).6s 2P → 5s2.5p2.(1D).6p 2P* | Measured | NIST | |
| 425.114 nm | 240 | Te II | emission | 5s2.5p2.(3P).5d 2D → 5s2.5p2.(3P).4f 2F* | Measured | NIST | |
| 404.888 nm | 230 | Te II | emission | 5s.(2S).5p4.(3P) 4P → 5s2.5p2.(3P).6p 4S* | Measured | NIST |
Extended Properties
Covalent Radii (Extended)
- Covalent radius (Pyykkö)
- 136 pm
- Covalent radius (Pyykkö, double)
- 128 pm
- Covalent radius (Pyykkö, triple)
- 121 pm
- Covalent radius (Bragg)
- 133 pm
Van der Waals Radii
- Bondi
- 206 pm
- Batsanov
- 210 pm
- Alvarez
- 199 pm
- UFF
- 447 pm
- MM3
- 244 pm
- Dreiding
- 423 pm
Atomic & Metallic Radii
- Atomic radius (Rahm)
- 242 pm
- Metallic radius (C12)
- 160 pm
Numbering Scales
- Mendeleev
- 102
- Pettifor
- 92
- Glawe
- 94
Electronegativity Scales
- Ghosh
- 0
- Gunnarsson–Lundqvist
- 6
- Robles–Bartolotti
- 4
Polarizability & Dispersion
- Dipole polarizability
- 38 a.u.
- Dipole polarizability (unc.)
- 4 a.u.
- C₆
- 445 Ha·Bohr6
- C₆ (Gould–Bučko)
- 471 Ha·Bohr6
Phase Transitions & Allotropes
| Melting point | 722.66 K |
| Boiling point | 1261.15 K |
| Critical point (temperature) | 2329.15 K |
Oxidation State Categories
Advanced Reference Data
Screening Constants (11)
| n | Orbital | σ |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | s | 1.0432 |
| 2 | p | 4.14 |
| 2 | s | 13.6688 |
| 3 | d | 14.1607 |
| 3 | p | 17.9911 |
| 3 | s | 18.0019 |
| 4 | d | 32.04 |
| 4 | p | 28.878 |
| 4 | s | 27.5916 |
| 5 | p | 41.1915 |
Crystal Radii Detail (6)
| Charge | CN | Spin | rcrystal (pm) | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| -2 | VI | 207 | Pauling's (1960) crystal radius, | |
| 4 | III | 66 | ||
| 4 | IV | 80 | ||
| 4 | VI | 111 | ||
| 6 | IV | 57 | calculated, | |
| 6 | VI | 70 |
Isotope Decay Modes (67)
| Isotope | Mode | Intensity |
|---|---|---|
| 104 | A | 100% |
| 105 | A | 100% |
| 106 | A | 100% |
| 107 | A | 70% |
| 107 | B+ | — |
| 107 | B+p | — |
| 108 | B+ | 51% |
| 108 | A | 49% |
| 108 | B+p | 2.4% |
| 108 | B+A | 0.1% |
X‑ray Scattering Factors (508)
| Energy (eV) | f₁ | f₂ |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | — | 9.70237 |
| 10.1617 | — | 9.72653 |
| 10.3261 | — | 9.75076 |
| 10.4931 | — | 9.77506 |
| 10.6628 | — | 9.7994 |
| 10.8353 | — | 9.77638 |
| 11.0106 | — | 9.72308 |
| 11.1886 | — | 9.67008 |
| 11.3696 | — | 9.61736 |
| 11.5535 | — | 9.54395 |
Additional Data
Estimated Crustal Abundance
The estimated element abundance in the earth's crust.
1×10-3 milligrams per kilogram
References (1)
- [5] Tellurium https://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele052.html
Estimated Oceanic Abundance
The estimated element abundance in the earth's oceans.
Not Applicable
References (1)
- [5] Tellurium https://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele052.html
Sources
Sources of this element.
Tellurium is occasionally found native, but is more often found as the telluride of gold (calaverite), and combined with other metals. It is recovered commercially from anode muds produced during the electrolytic refining of blister copper. The U.S., Canada, Peru, and Japan are the largest Free World producers of the element.
References (1)
- [6] Tellurium https://periodic.lanl.gov/52.shtml
References
(9)
Data deposited in or computed by PubChem
The half-life and atomic mass data was provided by the Atomic Mass Data Center at the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Element data are cited from the Atomic weights of the elements (an IUPAC Technical Report). The IUPAC periodic table of elements can be found at https://iupac.org/what-we-do/periodic-table-of-elements/. Additional information can be found within IUPAC publication doi:10.1515/pac-2015-0703 Copyright © 2020 International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry.
The information are cited from Pure Appl. Chem. 2018; 90(12): 1833-2092, https://doi.org/10.1515/pac-2015-0703.
Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (Jefferson Lab) is one of 17 national laboratories funded by the U.S. Department of Energy. The lab's primary mission is to conduct basic research of the atom's nucleus using the lab's unique particle accelerator, known as the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF). For more information visit https://www.jlab.org/
The periodic table at the LANL (Los Alamos National Laboratory) contains basic element information together with the history, source, properties, use, handling and more. The provenance data may be found from the link under the source name.
The periodic table contains NIST's critically-evaluated data on atomic properties of the elements. The provenance data that include data for atomic spectroscopy, X-ray and gamma ray, radiation dosimetry, nuclear physics, and condensed matter physics may be found from the link under the source name. Ref: https://www.nist.gov/pml/atomic-spectra-database
This section provides all form of data related to element Tellurium.
The element property data was retrieved from publications.