Tellurium Dibromide, TeBr₂

Just as the tetrachloride can be reduced to the dichloride, so can tellurium tetrabromide be made to yield the dibromide by treatment in dry ether solution in the dark with finely divided tellurium. The solution so obtained is chocolate-brown in colour and is decomposed by water to Tellurium Dibromide, TeBr₂:

TeBr₄ + Te = 2TeBr₂.

The dibromide has been isolated in the solid state by rapidly cooling its vapour to -80° C. in a vacuum. It is an endothermic compound, as prepared from tellurium and its tetrabromide, and is very unstable.

As with the dichloride, the action of water even in the form of moist air, causes decomposition into the tetrahalide and free tellurium. The dibromide is completely soluble in dry ether and in such solution it will combine with iodine, forming tellurium iodobromide, which crystallises from the ether solution as red crystals.