efficient reagent for the reductivecleavage of the tellurium-tellurium bond of ditelluride. Alkyl phenyl tellurides were prepared by the reaction of diphenyl ditelluride with primary and secondary alkyl halides in the presence of lanthanum metal and a catalytic amount of iodine in moderate to good yields. The reaction was accelerated by the addition of HMPA. In addition, the reduction of ditelluride with