Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 31, 2026

Combining Solid-state and Solution-based Techniques: Synthesis and Reactivity of Chalcogenidoplumbates(II or IV)
Published on: December 29, 2016
The first metal-rich binary chalcogenides of the lanthanides: Dy(2)Te and Gd(2)Te
1Department of Chemistry, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011, USA.
Abstract:
Two new tellurides have been synthesized in Ta with particular attention to the use of finely divided Dy (Gd) and a sequence of reactive sintering reactions of pressed pellets up to approximately 1060 degrees C. Both phases disproportionate to Ln and LnTe at only slightly higher temperatures so that arc-melting procedures are relatively unproductive. The two compounds crystallize with a Sc(2)Te-type structure. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction results for Dy(2)Te were detailed in the orthorhombic space group Pnma (No. 62), Z =12, a = 21.922(4) A, b = 4.0650(6) A, and c = 11.428(2) A (Guinier data). There is good evidence for the existence of additional metal-rich binary chalcogenides of the heavy lanthanides. Extended Hückel calculations were performed within the tight binding approximation to aid the understanding of the metal-metal bonding in this system. In terms of metal-metal overlap populations, the isotypic Sc(2)Te is more 1D in aggregation, while the larger atoms and orbitals and stronger bonding in Dy(2)Te make it somewhat more 3D. Electrical resistivity and magnetic susceptibility measurements on polycrystalline Dy(2)Te indicate it is metallic and ferromagnetic (T(c)= 161.3 K) with an effective moment at higher temperatures close to that of ground-state Dy(3+). The connections between heavy lanthanide-rich chalcogenide chemistry and that of the early transition metals seem significant.
Related Concept Videos
Periodic Classification of the Elements
Predicting Molecular Geometry
Properties of Transition Metals
Metal-Ligand Bonds
In these complexes, transition metals form coordinate covalent bonds, a kind of Lewis acid-base interaction in which both of the electrons in the bond are contributed by a donor (Lewis base) to an electron acceptor (Lewis acid). The Lewis acid in...
Valence Bond Theory
Complexation Equilibria: The Chelate Effect

