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The lithium-tellurium exchange is among the fastest of the lithium-metalloid exchange reactions; only the lithium-iodine exchange is slightly faster. Tellurium, iodine and mercury ate complexes are formed when diphenyl telluride, iodobenzene or diphenylmercury are treated with phenyllithium in THF. The mechanism of the lithium-tellurium exchange, (as well as the Li/I and Li/Hg) proceeds through such ate complex intermediates. Monomeric phenyllithium is the reactive form of phenyllithium (the dimer does not participate detectably). Tetraphenyltellurium and triphenyliodine also form hypervalent ate complexes under suitable conditions.
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Reich et al. (1992) studied this question.
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