Dr Wolfgang Weigand presents unusual structures of telluric compounds Image: Anne Günther (University of Jena)
Dr Wolfgang Weigand presents unusual structures of telluric compounds Image: Anne Günther (University of Jena) - International research team discovers unusual molecular structures The periodic system contains 118 chemical elements. However, only a few of them, such as hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and silicon, are of major importance in our daily lives. But things become really exciting from a chemical point of view when less well-known elements are involved. An international research group from Germany and Finland discovered astonishing and beautiful molecular structures when, instead of oxygen or sulphur, they used the element tellurium, which has a different weight, in ring-shaped hydrocarbon molecules. These compounds are distinguished by the fact that they are arranged in the crystal to form highly symmetrical tubes that interact with each other via the tellurium atoms. Molecular rings are arranged into tubes. The semiconductor tellurium has similar chemical properties to the 'related' elements sulphur and selenium.
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