Ditelluride, Terminal Tellurido, and Bis(tellurido) Motifs of Titanium

Highly modular and rational syntheses of titanium compounds containing ditelluride, terminal telluride, and bis­(telluride) structural motifs are disclosed in this study. Titanate anions bearing two cis and terminal telluride functionalities bound to the same metal center represent a unique example of a group 4 transition metal bis­(chalcogenide) ion and are accessed in a simple, single-step procedure from Ti­(III) bis­(alkyl) complexes in the presence of an outer-sphere reductant and at least 3 equiv of Te⁰ powder. These compounds have been characterized crystallographically and spectroscopically with some preliminary reactivity reported for the anionic Ti­(Te)₂ motif. We also report solution ¹²⁵Te NMR spectral data in addition to theoretical studies addressing the bonding and structure for these titanate bis­(tellurido) systems.