Tellurium (Te)
Tellurium is element 52, a metalloid in group 16, period 5. A neutral atom has 52 protons, 76 neutrons and 52 electrons, 6 of them valence electrons.
Metalloid- Atomic number
- 52
- Atomic mass
- 127.6 u
- Valence electrons
- 6
- Protons · neutrons
- 52 · 76
- Electrons per shell
- 2, 8, 18, 18, 6
- At room temperature
- solid
Bohr model of tellurium
The Bohr model draws tellurium as a nucleus of 52 protons and 76 neutrons, with its 52 electrons on 5 circular shells: 2 in shell 1, 8 in shell 2, 18 in shell 3, 18 in shell 4, 6 in shell 5. Press Build the atom to watch the shells fill from the inside out. The outer ring (the O shell) is dashed: the electrons there are the ones that take part in chemistry.
Real electrons don't travel in neat circles. They live in fuzzy orbitals, shown below, but the Bohr picture is the quickest way to count shells and valence electrons.
Electron configuration of tellurium
1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 4s² 3d¹⁰ 4p⁶ 5s² 4d¹⁰ 5p⁴
Short form (noble gas notation): [Kr] 5s² 4d¹⁰ 5p⁴. The [Kr] stands for the electrons of krypton, the noble gas before it.
How many valence electrons does tellurium have?
Tellurium has 6 valence electrons.
Tellurium is in group 16, and for groups 13–18 you subtract 10 from the group number: 16 − 10 = 6. It tends to share electrons in covalent bonds.
Protons, neutrons and electrons
| Protons | 52 | equal to the atomic number |
|---|---|---|
| Electrons | 52 | equal to the protons in a neutral atom |
| Neutrons | 76 | mass number 128 − 52 protons |
Atoms of the same element can have different numbers of neutrons (isotopes). The count above uses the rounded atomic mass, the way it's taught in class.
Tellurium properties
| Symbol | Te |
|---|---|
| Category | Metalloid |
| Group · period · block | 16 · 5 · p |
| Atomic mass | 127.6 u |
| State at 25 °C | solid |
| Melting point | 722.7 K (450 °C, 841 °F) |
| Boiling point | 1,261 K (988 °C, 1,810 °F) |
| Density | 6.232 g/cm³ |
| Electronegativity (Pauling) | 2.1 |
| Atomic radius | 206 pm |
| First ionization energy | 9.01 eV |
| Electron affinity | 1.971 eV |
| Oxidation states | +6, +4, −2 |
| Common ion charge | +6, +4 |
| Discovered | 1782 by Franz-Joseph Müller von Reichenstein |
Where tellurium sits on the periodic table
Group 16: Oxygen, Sulfur, Selenium, Polonium, Livermorium.
Questions about tellurium
How many valence electrons does tellurium have?
Tellurium has 6 valence electrons.
How many protons, neutrons and electrons does tellurium have?
A neutral tellurium atom has 52 protons and 52 electrons. Its most common form has about 76 neutrons (mass number 128 − 52 protons).
What is the electron configuration of tellurium?
1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 4s² 3d¹⁰ 4p⁶ 5s² 4d¹⁰ 5p⁴, written in short form as [Kr] 5s² 4d¹⁰ 5p⁴.
What does the Bohr model of tellurium look like?
A nucleus of 52 protons and 76 neutrons, circled by 5 electron shells holding 2, 8, 18, 18, 6 electrons.
What is the atomic number of tellurium?
52. The atomic number is the number of protons in the nucleus, and it is what makes an atom tellurium.