Supramolecular self-assembly through tellurium···halogen secondary bonds: A hexagonal grid of Te2Cl2 and Te6Cl6 rings in the solid state structure of 1,1,3-trichloro-2,4,5,6-tetrahydro-1H-1λ4-benzo[b]tellurophene
1,1,3-Trichloro-2,4,5,6-tetrahydro-1H-1λ4-benzo[b]tellurophene (a = 8.807(1), b = 14.495(2), c = 9.263(1) Å, β = 110.18(1)°; P21/a, Z= 4, R[F 2 > 2σ(F 2)] = 0.0383), prepared by reacting 1-ethynyl-1-cyclohexanol with tellurium tetrachloride, displays a hexagonal grid structure made of four-membered Te2Cl2 and 12-membered Te6Cl6 rings formed by self-assembly of Cl-Te-Cl rods through Te···Cl secondary bonds into a supramolecular 2D network. The comparison with structurally related compounds reveals that 2D layers can also be formed by similar self-assembly of eight-membered Te4I4 rings alone or in a combination of four-membered Te2I2 with eight-membered Te4I4 rings.Key words: diorganotellurium(IV), supramolecular 2D assembly, self-assembly, secondary bonding.