The title compound oxidized thiols to disulfides, sulfides to sulfoxides, hydroquinone or catechol to benzoquinones, and phosphine to phosphine oxide in high yields under very mild conditions. In addition, it functioned as a useful reagent for the syntheses of 1,2,4-thiadiazole derivatives from thioureas or thioamides.
Bis(p-methoxyphenyl) telluride (1) electrochemically reacted with supporting electrolytes such as tetrabutylammonium acetate and tetraethylammonium tosylate under anhydrous conditions to give tellurium(IV) diacetate 2a and ditosylate 2b, respectively. On the other hand, 1 was electrolyzed in the presence of water to give telluroxide 3. It has turned out that the tellurium compounds 2a and 2b like telluroxide