Abstract
Idiomorphous crystals of five different polymorphic modifications (α-ε) of TeI 4 are simultaneously grown from solutions of TeI 4 and concentrated HI in methanol by evaporating the solvent at room temperature. δ-TeI 4 is the only stable phase at normal conditions. Phase transformations of α-, β-, γ-and ε-TeI 4 to the final stage δ-TeI 4 take place by heating and run through discrete intermediates. The observed graduations lead to a sequence γ-, β-, α-,ε-TeI 4 which indicates “increasing metastability”. The crystal structures of α-TeI 4 (trigonal; P3̄ml; a = 4.228(2), c - 6.684(6)Å, Z = 0.5; D x = 5.10 g/cm 3 ), β-TeI 4 (orthorhombic; Pn2 1 m; a = 6.888(2), b = 14.539(3), c = 16.753(4) Å, Z = 8; D x = 5.03 g/cm 3 ) and γ-TeI 4 (monoclinic; P2 1 /c; a = 11.199(4), b = 13.599(4), c = 22.158(6) Å,β = 98.10(3)°, Z = 16; D, = 5.05 g/cm 3 ) are related to the known crystal structure of δ-TeI 4 . α-TeI 4 (“Te 0.5 I 2 ”) is an isotype of the 2H-CdI : structure with random distribution of Te over the Cd-positions. The crystal structures of β-, γ-and δ-TeI 4 contain discrete tetrameric molecules “(TeI 4 ) 2 (TeI 3 + I - ) 2 ” which are generated by ordered distributions of Te over 1/4 of the octahedral holes of a 2H-(β) and a 4H-sequence (y,δ ) of the nearly close packed iodine layers. A nearly cubic close packing of Iodine atoms is observed in the crystal structure of ε-TeI 4 (tetragonal; I4 1 /amd; a = 16.875(6), c -11.829(5) Å, Z = 16; D x = 5.01 g/cm 3 ). The ordered distribution of Te in 1/4 of the octahedral holes leads to tetrameric molecules “(TeI 3 + I - ) 4 ” in a cubanelike arrangement which, thus far, has been observed only in the crystal structures of TeCl 4 and TeBr 4 . The Madelung Parts of Lattice Energies, MAPLE, of β-, γ-, δ-and ε-TeI 4 are calculated.