Sodium telluride
Sodium telluride is the chemical compound with the formula NaTe. This salt is the conjugate base of the thermally unstable acid hydrogen telluride, but it is usually prepared by reduction of tellurium with sodium. NaTe is a challenging material to handle because it is very sensitive to air. Air oxidizes it initially to polytellurides, which have the formula NaTe (x > 1), and ultimately Te metal. Samples of NaTe, which are colourless when absolutely pure, generally appear purple or dark gray due to the effects of air oxidation. Synthesis, structure, and solution properties. The synthesis is typically conducted  using ammonia as the solvent. NaTe, like many related compounds with the formula MX, adopts the antifluorite structure. Thus, in solid NaTe each Te ion is surrounded by eight Na ions and each Na ion is surrounded by four Te ions. Simple salts of the type MX, where X is a monatomic anion, are not typically soluble in any solvent because they have a high lattice energy. Upon addition of water - even moist air - or treatment with alcohols, Te protonates: Because of this reaction, many processes attributed to NaTe may involve NaHTe (CAS # 65312-92-7), which is more soluble  and formed readily. Applications in organic chemistry. NaTe finds use in organic synthesis, both as a reagent for reductions and as a source of Te in the synthesis of organotellurium compounds. Aryl halides are substituted to diaryl tellurides, as illustrated by the synthesis of dinaphthyltelluride: NaTe reacts with 1,3-diynes to give the corresponding tellurophene, which are structurally analogous to thiophenes: As a reducing agent, NaTe converts nitro groups to amines and will cleave certain C-X bonds.