The Crystal Structure of Tl2Te3 – a Reinvestigation

Crystals of the title compound were obtained by annealing a powder of Tl₂Te₃ in a vertical temperature gradient (230 °C–240 °C, 4 weeks). Tl₂Te₃ crystallizes in space group C2/c with lattice parameters of a = 13.275(1) Å, b = 6.562(1) Å, c = 7.918(1) Å, and β = 107.14°(2). The tellurium atoms form chains Te₃^2–], consisting of interconnected linear triatomic · Te–^Te–Te · groups which are isosteric with XeF₂. The Te–Te distances of the XeF₂-like units are 3.02 Å, the connecting ones 2.83 Å.