Elemental Te Research Articles

An Aluminum Telluride with a Terminal Al=Te Bond and its Conversion to an Aluminum Tellurocarbonate by CO2 Reduction

AbstractFacile access to dimeric heavier aluminum chalcogenides [(NHC)Al(Tipp)‐μ‐Ch]2 (NHC=IiPr (1,3‐diisopropyl‐4,5‐dimethylimidazol‐2‐ylidene, IMe4 (1,3,4,5‐tetramethylimidazol‐2‐ylidene); Tipp=2,4,6‐iPr3C6H2; Ch=Se, Te) by treatment of NHC‐stabilized aluminum dihydrides with elemental Se and Te is reported. The higher affinity of IMe4 in comparison with IiPr toward the Al center in [(NHC)Al(Tipp)‐μ‐Ch]2 can be used for ligand exchange. Additionally, the presence of excess IMe4 allows for cleavage of the dimers to form a rare example of a neutral multiply bonded heavier aluminum chalcogenide in the form of a tetracoordinate aluminum complex, (IMe4)2(Tipp)Al=Te. This species reacts with three equivalents of CO2 across two Al−CNHC and the Al=Te bond affording a pentacoordinate aluminum complex containing a dianionic tellurocarbonate ligand [CO2Te]2−, which is the first example of tellurium analogue of a carbonate [CO3]2−.

Microstructure correlated optical, electrical and mechanical characterizations of (Bi1-xSbx)2Te3: Effect of compositional variations on different properties

Nanocrystalline rhombohedral (Bi1-xSbx)2Te3 (with x = 0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1) powders are synthesized by a facile one-pot mechanical milling technique using elemental Bi, Sb, and Te powders, taken in different proportions within 3 h of milling. The Rietveld refined X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns of the fabricated samples reveal the compositional variations of different microstructural parameters like crystallite size, lattice strain, and lattice parameters. The included impurity percentages of Bi and Sb explain the variation of lattice parameter a, whereas, the antisite defects are well interpreted with the change in lattice parameter c. The r.m.s. lattice strain is consistent with the formulation of different antisite defects acting as either n-type or p-type doping within the materials (Bi1-xSbx)2Te3. The microstructure is also revealed from the field-emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) image and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectrum and compared with the results obtained from the XRD pattern analysis. The narrow bandgaps of the materials are determined from the Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra, and the correlation with the microstructure establishes their changes with the compositional x value. Here, both the blue and red shifts in bandgap with particle size variations are observed and explained. The positions of the conduction and valence bands are determined with composition variations (x). The non-Debye type, thermally activated conduction process of the semiconducting materials is confirmed from the ac electrical study of the samples at room and high temperatures. The variation of electrical conductivity with different alloying concentrations and temperatures is explained in terms of their particle size and density of antisite defects. The conduction mechanism is found to be a small polaron hopping model. The Vickers microhardnesses of the samples are measured and explained by correlating with the microstructural parameters. The Meyer's law establishes the normal indentation size effect (ISE). The microhardness of the materials partially supports the conductivity results.

Indium removal by Aspergillus niger fungal pellets in the presence of selenite and tellurite

The feasibility of simultaneous removal of indium, selenite and tellurite using biological reduction by Aspergillus niger fungal pellets is explored. Initially, batch experiments were conducted to study the capability of A. niger pellets to remove indium, selenium and tellurium in different combinations. The indium removal efficiency ranged between 52.3 and 65.6 % at 10 mg/L, with a maximum removal (~65 %) in incubations with only indium or indium with tellurite. The tellurium removal efficiency was maximum (76.7 %) in experiments with indium, but dropped drastically to 47.2 and 33.7 %, respectively, when selenite and indium were incubated together. The selenite removal efficiencies of the A. niger pellets were more consistent (50.2–59.5 %) for different experimental combinations and were not affected by either indium or tellurium. Further characterization of fungal biomass showed accumulation of mainly elemental Se and Te nanoparticles within the pellets. In addition, XRD analysis showed the formation of indium selenide and indium telluride during their simultaneous removal. The EPS production by A. niger increased in the presence of these elements along with changes in the polysaccharide and protein content of the EPS. The fluorescence EEM spectra revealed that the EPS produced by A. niger during pollutant removal was mostly composed of soluble microbial products and humic acid like substances. This study demonstrated recovery of elemental chalcogen and indium chalcogenide nanoparticles can be achieved using fungal pelleted systems.

Spectroscopic study of nitrogen incorporation in Ge, Sb, and Te elemental systems: A step toward the understanding of nitrogen effect in phase-change materials

Nitrogen doping in chalcogenide materials represents a promising way for the improvement of material properties. Indeed, N doping in GeSbTe phase-change alloys have demonstrated to greatly enhance thermal stability of their amorphous phase, necessary to ensure the data retention of the final phase-change memory device. Although it is suggested that the N doping in such alloys leads to the preferential formation of Ge-N bonds, further questions concerning the bonding, in particular, Sb-N and Te-N, and the structural arrangement remain unclear. In this paper, we present a study of as-deposited elemental Ge, Sb, and Te systems and their nitrides (i.e., GeN, SbN, and TeN alloys), using a large range of N content from 0 up to about 50 at. %. The as-deposited alloys are investigated by Fourier transform infrared and Raman spectroscopy. We identify the active vibrational modes associated with the formation of Ge-N, Sb-N, and Te-N bonds, highlighting the impact of N incorporation on the structure of these elemental systems. We further qualitatively compare the GeN, SbN, and TeN experimental spectra with the “ab initio” simulations of the related ideal nitride structures. Finally, the analysis of elemental nitride layers is extended to N-doped GeSbTe alloys, providing deeper understanding of nitrogen bonding in such ternary systems, employed in memory technology.

Formation of biogenic tellurium nanorods in unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.

Tellurium (Te) is an industrially useful element but causes environmental contamination. The formation of biogenic Te nanorods (Te-BgNRs) in plants is one of the Te detoxification pathways associated with the phytoremediation of Te because Te-BgNRs contain low-toxicity Te at high densities. In this study, we investigated the mechanism of Te-BgNR formation in a common unicellular green alga, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, on the basis of elemental analysis by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). After exposure to 1000 μM sodium tellurate (Na2TeO4) for 2 weeks, the alga accumulated 65.2 fg of Te per cell, and 55.8% of which was present in an insoluble form. Electron microscopic observations revealed that the insoluble Te was rod-shaped elemental Te, i.e. Te-BgNRs, and had a highly crystalline nanostructure. We determined the Te contents in Te-BgNRs by single-particle ICP-MS analysis and found that these nanorods were formed at tellurate exposure concentrations of 100 to 1000 μM. In contrast, soluble Te compounds were found in algal cells even at exposure concentrations lower than 100 μM. These findings suggest that the algal cells initially metabolized tellurate to form soluble Te compounds, and excess tellurate that could not be metabolized was then transformed to Te-BgNRs, which are less toxic than tellurate. Our findings provide a novel approach to Te remediation through the formation of BgNRs in C. reinhardtii.

Enhancing tellurite and selenite bioconversions by overexpressing a methyltransferase from Aromatoleum sp. CIB.

Pollution by metalloids, e.g., tellurite and selenite, is of serious environmental concern and, therefore, there is an increasing interest in searching for ecologically friendly solutions for their elimination. Some microorganisms are able to reduce toxic tellurite/selenite into less toxic elemental tellurium (Te) and selenium (Se). Here, we describe the use of the environmentally relevant β-proteobacterium Aromatoleum sp. CIB as a platform for tellurite elimination. Aromatoleum sp. CIB was shown to tolerate 0.2 and 0.5 mM tellurite at aerobic and anaerobic conditions, respectively. Furthermore, the CIB strain was able to reduce tellurite into elemental Te producing rod-shaped Te nanoparticles (TeNPs) of around 200 nm length. A search in the genome of Aromatoleum sp. CIB revealed the presence of a gene, AzCIB_0135, which encodes a new methyltransferase that methylates tellurite and also selenite. AzCIB_0135 orthologs are widely distributed in bacterial genomes. The overexpression of the AzCIB_0135 gene both in Escherichia coli and Aromatoleum sp. CIB speeds up tellurite and selenite removal, and it enhances the production of rod-shaped TeNPs and spherical Se nanoparticles (SeNPs), respectively. Thus, the overexpression of a methylase becomes a new genetic strategy to optimize bacterial catalysts for tellurite/selenite bioremediation and for the programmed biosynthesis of metallic nanoparticles of biotechnological interest.

Bioleaching of tellurium from mine tailings by indigenous Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans.

Tellurium (Te) is a scarce and valuable metalloid, which can be found in some mine tailings. In this work, an indigenous Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans strain was used to leach Te from mine tailings collected in the Shimian Te mine region, China. Under the optimized conditions of initial pH of 2·0, pulp density of 4% and temperature of 30°C, 47·77% of Te can be dissolved after 24 days of bioleaching. The leaching of Te by different systems such as bioleaching, Ferric ion (Fe(III)) leaching and acid leaching was compared. The results showed that the leaching behaviour of Te is similar to that of sulphur in sulphide minerals, that is, Fe(III) first oxidizes telluride (Te(-II)) in minerals to elemental Te, and then elemental Te can be oxidized by bacteria to Te(IV) and Te(VI). Besides, it was also showed by scanning electron microscope observation and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis of the ore sample before and after bioleaching that some bedded structure covered on the surface of the ore after bioleaching acting as a reaction compartment, and the changing of active groups indicated a possible attachment between bacteria and ore. There is an indirect mechanism involved in bioleaching of Te.

Rotation, Electric-Field Responses, and Absolute Enantioselection in Chiral Crystals.

The microscopic origin of chirality, possible electric-field induced static rotational lattice deformation, and rotation-field induced electric polarization are investigated. By building up a realistic tight-binding model for the elemental Te crystal in terms of a symmetry-adapted basis, we identify the microscopic origin of the chirality and essential couplings among polar and axial vectors with the same time-reversal properties. Based on this microscopic model, we elucidate quantitatively that an interband process, driven by nearest-neighbor spin-dependent imaginary hopping, is the key factor in the electric-field induced rotation and its inverse response. From the symmetry point of view, these couplings and responses are characteristic and common to any chiral material, leading to a possible experimental approach to achieve absolute enantioselection by simultaneously applied electric and rotation fields, or a magnetic field and electric current, and so on, as a conjugate field of the chirality.

Defect mediated structural, optical, electrical and mechanical properties of mechano-synthesized PbTe nanostructure as a superior thermoelectric material: Correlation among electrical, mechanical and optical properties

This work reports on the formation of anti-site defects in mechanically alloyed PbTe samples and their anomalous effects on the optical and electrical properties of the sample. PbTe nanoparticles have been synthesised by mechanical alloying of the elemental Pb and Te powders mixed in stoichiometric ratio under an inert (Ar) atmosphere for different time durations. The structural and microstructural characterisations have been carried out by analysing X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns, field-emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), and high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM) images. The elemental composition has been revealed from the energy-dispersive X-Ray (EDX) spectrum. The phase pure cubic PbTe is formed within just 30 min of milling. The Rietveld analysis of XRD patterns, FESEM, and HRTEM images revealed the crystallite size reduction and the increase in r.m.s. lattice strain with the increase in milling durations. Inclusions of more and more anti-site defects of type [PbTe] with increasing milling time are reflected in the expansion of the cubic lattice parameter with milling durations. Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectrum reveals that PbTe is a narrow bandgap semiconductor, and the bandgap shows a redshift with increased milling time and reduced crystallite size. This anomalous behaviour of the optical bandgap with reduced particle size is well explained by Urbach tailing due to increased defects in the more extended milled sample. The positions of the conduction and valence bands in the milled PbTe samples are determined for different milling times. The DC conductivity study also shows anomalous behaviour; electrical conductivity increases with particle size reduction in more extended milling time samples. It is resolved by considering that the carrier concentration increases with a longer milling time due to induced anti-site defects while milling. It results in bandgap reduction with milling durations and shows the predominant effect of electronic conductivity over ionic conductivity. The conduction mechanism is explained as per the Pertritz model, and the dependence of activation energies on particle size and temperature has been explained in detail. The Vickers hardness of the milled samples is determined, and its variation with grain size is explained with the Hall-Petch relation. The improved electrical conductivity with increased milling is also manifested in the measured hardness values.

Biodegradable copper telluride nanosheets for redox-homeostasis breaking-assisted chemodynamic cancer therapy boosted by mild-photothermal effect

Chemodynamic therapy (CDT) holds great promise for cancer treatment through employing the Fenton or Fenton-like effects for highly toxic ·OH production exclusively in the tumor microenvironment. Herein, glutathione (GSH)-degradable Cu2-xTe nanosheets modified with polyethylene glycol (bioCu2-xTe NSs) as a multifunctional CDT agent are reported for effective cancer treatment via mild-photothermally enhanced CDT. The resulting bioCu2-xTe NSs exhibit excellent near-infrared II (NIR-II) plasmonic absorption and photothermal properties. Upon endocytosis by cancer cells, bioCu2-xTe NSs are degraded into Cu+ and elemental Te by GSH overexpressed in cancer cells. The generated Cu+ and Te together exhibit efficient catalytic decomposition of endogenous H2O2 into ·OH with effective GSH depletion and redox homeostasis breaking of cancer cells. The mild-photothermal effect from the NIR-II irradiation is confirmed to promote intracellular ·OH production and tumor accumulation of bioCu2-xTe NSs. Owing to all these prominent features, our results on both in vitro and in vivo studies verify the remarkable therapeutic efficacy via mild-photothermally enhanced CDT on a MCF-7 tumor mouse model with intravenous administration of bioCu2-xTe NSs under NIR-II irradiation. This study demonstrates the potential of bioCu2-xTe NSs as a potent CDT agent, which features GSH-triggered degradability and excellent therapeutic functions, for efficient cancer treatment.

An efficient process for recycling of copper telluride residue out of copper anode slime

In the present study, an efficient and compact process for recycling of copper telluride residue out of copper anode slime has been proposed, and the involved reaction mechanisms were systematically investigated. The raw material of copper telluride residue was initially leached with H2SO4 in the presence of H2O2 oxidant. The main elements of Te and Cu were completely dissolved under the optimal conditions of H2SO4 concentration of 80 g/L, H2O2/Cu2Te mole ratio of 4.8, liquid to solid ratio (L/S) of 6:1, temperature of 85 °C, and reaction time of 2.0 h. In the meantime, a tenfold enrichment of precious metal Ag and stabilization of hazardous element As in the form of BiAsO4 in the leaching residue were achieved simultaneously. The leaching solution was further processed with Na2C2O4 for Te-Cu separation under the conditions of C2O42-/Cu2+ ratio of 1.2 and temperature of 85 °C, generating copper oxalate hydrate and Te-enriched solution. The recovery of tellurium from the aqueous solution was finally realized by reduction with Na2SO3 under the parameters of Na2SO3/Te mole ratio of 3.2, temperature of 85 °C, and reaction time of 2.0 h, producing elemental Te of purity over 99% with uniform phase composition and morphology. An overall Te recovery of about 93% was reached by the proposed copper telluride residue recycling process.

Natural nanoparticles of the critical element tellurium

Tellurium (Te) is a Critical Element that is toxic to microorganisms and humans alike, most notably in its soluble oxyanionic forms. To date, the biogeochemical behaviour of Te in Earth’s surface environment is largely unknown. Here, we report the discovery of elemental Te nanoparticles (Te NPs) in regolith samples using Single-Particle Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectroscopy. Tellurium NPs were detected in both proximal and distal locations (bulk concentrations >4 ppm) relative to weathering Te ores. Synchrotron X-ray Fluorescence Mapping and X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy showed that bulk Te in the regolith is generally associated with Fe (oxyhydr)oxides and clay minerals, and mostly found in the oxidation states +IV and +VI. Although Te NPs account for less than 2 mol‰ of Te in our samples, their detection provides evidence for the active biogeochemical cycling of Te in surface environments. Te NPs are reactive and are likely to have formed in situ in distal samples, most likely via microbially-mediated reduction. Hence, the presence of Te NPs indicates the potential for release of toxic soluble forms of Te even in environments where most Te is “fixed” in forms such as Fe (oxyhydr)oxides that have low solubility and poor bioavailability.

Evolution Of Bi2Te3 Nanoflowers Through Imperfect Orient Attachment Growth

In this work, Bi2Te3 nanoflowers were successfully synthesized through hydrothermal method. The effect of reaction time on crystal growth and the morphological evolution of these nanoflowers were studied in detail. The obtained nanopowders were characterized by employing XRD, FESEM, EDAX, HRTEM, and Raman studies. The XRD results shows that rhombohedral Bi2Te3 is obtained, without any impurities, at a reaction time of 8, 24, and 36 hours. But along with Bi2Te3, elemental Te is obtained at a reaction time of 4 hours. A growth mechanism for the evolution of nanoflowers from primary nanoplates is proposed, based on the experimental results. The HRTEM images shows that an imperfect orient attachment of primary nano plates leads to the twisting and bending of nanoplates, resulting in well-formed nanoflowers. Lattice imperfections, including twinning boundaries, incoherent boundaries, and stacking faults, will reduce thermal conductivity and improve thermoelectric conversion efficiency of the material.

Mechanochemical synthesis of γ-CoTe2 nanocrystals and their application for determination of ferulic acid

The synthesis of the γ-CoTe2 nanocrystals from a mixture of elemental Co and Te powders was achieved using a ball mill's mechanical energy for only 6 h. The characterization of structure, morphology, and magnetic properties of the synthesized powders utilized X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), selected area electron diffraction (SAED), and magnetometry. Its application as an electrochemical sensor for the determination of ferulic was investigated by cyclic voltammetry. The first 6 h of the milling time were enough to transform the starting powder mixtures, Co32Te68 and Co34Te66, in composites containing up to 86% of γ-CoTe2 nanocrystals with effective sizes of about 25 nm (volume-weighted diameter size) and 13 nm (surface-weighted 'true' crystallite size for an ellipsoidal domain shape). The explanation of the magnetometry results was based on simulations via Langevin models considering two magnetic counterparts: one superparamagnetic and other ferromagnetic (due to interacting/larger magnetic grains). The γ-CoTe2 nanocrystals modified glassy carbon electrode (γ-CoTe2/GCE) displayed outstanding sensing abilities concerning a wide linear range and one of the nethermost detection limits for ferulic acid compared to earlier reports. This excellent performance was extended to real cosmetic samples and is displayed as an alternative for quality control routines and/or real-time analysis without interfering with different components of serum lotions.

Improved thermoelectric performance of nanostructured Bi2Te3 fabricated by solvent-free mechanical alloying

Thermoelectric materials convert waste heat energy efficiently to electricity in an eco-friendly manner. Bi2Te3 is a known thermoelectric material, which can convert waste heat and solar energy into electricity in the 200–400 K temperature range. Bi2Te3 nanocrystals are prepared in powder form by solvent-free mechanical alloying of elemental Bi and Te powder mixtures under an inert Ar atmosphere. The crystallite size and composition of the Bi2Te3 nanocrystals are analyzed using X-ray diffraction, field-emission scanning electron microscope and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Thermal and electrical behaviours and the effect of thermal annealing are studied on the 10 h ball-milled sample in a physical properties measurement system in the 30–375 K temperature range. It is observed that the high-temperature thermal annealing induces significant grain growth, reduces lattice strain, along with a reduction of bandgap energy of the mechanically alloyed Bi2Te3 nanostructures. Thermoelectric properties and the figure of merit of the nanostructures have improved significantly upon thermal annealing. Enhanced thermoelectric performance of the annealed nanostructures has been explained considering the change in their thermal conductivity, electrical resistivity, and crystallite size induced by thermal treatment.

Growth of high-quality semiconducting tellurium films for high-performance p-channel field-effect transistors with wafer-scale uniformity

Achieving high-performance p-type semiconductors has been considered one of the most challenging tasks for three-dimensional vertically integrated nanoelectronics. Although many candidates have been presented to date, the facile and scalable realization of high-mobility p-channel field-effect transistors (FETs) is still elusive. Here, we report a high-performance p-channel tellurium (Te) FET fabricated through physical vapor deposition at room temperature. A growth route involving Te deposition by sputtering, oxidation and subsequent reduction to an elemental Te film through alumina encapsulation allows the resulting p-channel FET to exhibit a high field-effect mobility of 30.9 cm2 V−1 s−1 and an ION/OFF ratio of 5.8 × 105 with 4-inch wafer-scale integrity on a SiO2/Si substrate. Complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) inverters using In-Ga-Zn-O and 4-nm-thick Te channels show a remarkably high gain of ~75.2 and great noise margins at small supply voltage of 3 V. We believe that this low-cost and high-performance Te layer can pave the way for future CMOS technology enabling monolithic three-dimensional integration.

Waste-free separation and recovery of copper telluride slag by directional sulfidation-vacuum distillation

Copper telluride slag is a high-value secondary resource generated by copper smelting systems, but it is typically treated using acid and alkaline liquids, which generate toxic waste. Exploring innovative green and efficient methods for tellurium recycling can improve production efficiency and mitigate ecological hazards. In this work, a clean and efficient method for the separation and extraction of tellurium by directional sulfurization-vacuum distillation was proposed. First, the Cu–Te chemical bonds in copper telluride slag were broken by S, which formed Cu–S chemical bonds and elemental Te and achieved the separation effect. Secondly, elemental Te was extracted by vacuum distillation. The feasibility of the method was confirmed by theoretical analysis. The experimental results showed that the optimal temperature of directional sulfidation was 400 °C, while the experimental parameters of distillation were 650 °C for 60 min and the pressure was 10–20 Pa. The tellurium content extracted from the raw slag was 97.60%, and its purity was 96.37%. All the copper in the raw material was enriched in the form of sulfide in the distillation residue. The volatiles could be directly used as crude tellurium products, and the residues could be reused in pyrometallurgical copper smelting processes. Compared with the traditional process, this proposed process is short and greatly eliminates the loss of tellurium due to multiple dispersion. The process does not produce three wastes and is friendly to the environment, as shown by the economic and sustainability evaluation. This research provides a clean and sustainable method for treating copper telluride slag for the metallurgical industry.

High-performance thermoelectric properties of strained two-dimensional tellurium

Elemental two-dimensional (2D) materials in monolayer form are attractive due to their simplicity and indigenous properties. In the present study, we investigate the influence of biaxial strain on group VI elemental 2D material of tellurium, which has been discussed for its potential in various applications. Considering realistic estimates of strain that may be imposed to monolayer Te through van der Waals heterostructing with other known 2D materials, we demonstrate that the structural, electrical, and thermal transport properties can get strongly influenced by strain. Importantly, through strain engineering, the thermoelectric performance of elemental 2D Te in $p$-type doping can be made comparable to that of the known binary or ternary layered compound at room temperature, and can outperform the known binary or ternary layered compounds at high to moderate temperature. The $ZT$ of monolayer Te is found to reach a value of 6.07 at 800 K under tensile strain, being larger than 2 for temperature greater than 400 K. Our study provides a way to tune the thermoelectric properties of 2D Te for future applications.

Thermoelectric properties of medium-entropy PbSbTeSe alloy prepared by reactive spark plasma sintering

Reactive spark plasma sintering combining the synthesis and densification stages has been at the first time applied to prepare medium-entropy grained PbSbTeSe alloy. This alloy is prospect medium-temperature p-type thermoelectric. Self-propagating high-temperature synthesis in initial mixture of elemental Pb, Sb, Te and Se powders, resulting in synthesis of single-phased PbSbTeSe, was stage of synthesis. Lattice thermal conductivity of the alloy is very low (∼0.7 at ∼ 755 K). Owing to this low lattice thermal conductivity, thermoelectric performance of PbSbTeSe alloy is promising . Highest thermoelectric figure-of-merit equal to ∼ 0.43 is observed at ∼ 720 K. Anomalies of thermoelectric properties were found at ∼ 490 K. These anomalies can be related to specific features of energy bands, consisting of two valence bands, which are close in energy.

Front Cover: Lewis Superacidic Tellurenyl Cation‐Induced Electrophilic Activation of an Inert Carborane (Chem. Eur. J. 59/2021)

In a metastable N-coordinated Lewis superacidic tellurenyl cation–carborane ion pair, the Te atom is trying to steal the H atom with help of a N atom. However, although at first glance the N atom is helping, he is actually planning to steal the asset for himself. The Town Musicians came to scare off the robbers, but they arrived too late, and thus nothing can stop nitrogen's plan. The broken window opens full insight into the electrophilic activation mechanism of the carborane moiety, which has been poorly understood so far. Elemental Te is watching the whole show and wondering how this is even possible; but was it the Te atom that broke the window? More information can be found in the Communication by M. Hejda, S. Ketkov, S. Mebs, J. Beckmann, et al. (DOI: 10.1002/chem.202103181).