Tellurium
Metalloid
Tellurium (Te) is a chemical element with atomic number 52, classified as a metalloid. At room temperature it is a solid. It was discovered in 1782 by Franz-Joseph Müller von Reichenstein.
Properties
- Atomic number
- 52
- Atomic mass
- 127.6 u
- Category
- Metalloid
- Group
- 16
- Period
- 5
- Block
- p-block
- Electron configuration
- [Kr] 4d¹⁰ 5s² 5p⁴
- Phase at STP
- Solid
- Density
- 6.232 g/cm³
- Melting point
- 722.66 K (449.5 °C)
- Boiling point
- 1261 K (987.9 °C)
- Electronegativity
- 2.1
- Atomic radius
- 123 pm
- Ionization energy
- 9.01 eV
- Discovery
- 1782 · Franz-Joseph Müller von Reichenstein
Common uses
Solar panels, thermoelectrics, catalysts, alloys
Did you know?
Rarer than gold and essential for high-efficiency solar panels.
Experiment with the elements
Tellurium doesn't form any compounds in our lab yet, but the periodic table sandbox lets you combine dozens of other real elements into real compounds — water, table salt, ammonia and many more — with their true chemical formulas.