Solvothermal Reactions between Barium, Manganese, and Tellurium in Methylamine – the Formation of Polytellurides and Unexpected Cyanido Complexes

Abstract

Abstract The reactions between elemental barium or manganese and tellurium in methylamine under solvothermal conditions at temperatures between 50 and 100 °C yield the tri‐ and ditellurides [Ba(MeNH2)3]Te3 (1) and [Mn(MeNH2)4Te2]n (2). The analogous reactions with mixtures of both metals barium and manganese lead additionally to cyanide‐containing species [Mn2(MeNH2)9(μ‐CN)(Te2)]2(Te2) (3) and [Mn2(MeNH2)10(μ‐CN)]2(Te3)3·4MeNH2 (4). Under solvothermal conditions in the presence of metallic barium and manganese methylamine partially undergoes dehydrogenation being converted to cyanide ions. In the structure of 1, Ba2+ is coordinated by three MeNH2 ligands and five tellurium atoms of surrounding Te32– anions, which are associated to infinite (Te32–)n polyanionic chains. 2 is a coordination polymer with Mn(MeNH2)4 groups connected by Te2 units to chains [Te–Te–Mn–]n. 3 and 4 are molecular compounds, consisting of cationic dinuclear complexes with almost linear Mn2+–CN–Mn2+ bridges. In the structures 2–4 manganese is in octahedral coordination.