Catalytically active nanosized Pd 9 Te 4 (telluropalladinite) and PdTe (kotulskite) alloys: first precursor-architecture controlled synthesis using palladium complexes of organotellurium compounds as single source precursors.

Several intermetallic binary phases of Pd-Te including Pd 3 Te 2 , PdTe, PdTe 2 , Pd 9 Te 4 , Pd 3 Te, Pd 2 Te, Pd 20 Te 7 , Pd 8 Te 3 , Pd 7 Te 2 , Pd 7 Te 3 , Pd 4 Te and Pd 17 Te 4 are known, and negligible work (except few studies on PdTe) has been done on exploring applications of such phases and their fabrication at nanoscale. Hence, Pd(ii) complexes Pd(L1)Cl 2 and Pd(L2-H)Cl (L1): Ph-Te-CH 2 -CH 2 -NH 2 and L2: HO-2-C 6 H 4 -CH[double bond, length as m-dash]N-CH 2 CH 2 -Te-Ph were synthesized. Under similar thermolytic conditions, complex Pd(L1)Cl 2 with bidentate coordination mode of ligand provided nanostructures of Pd 9 Te 4 (telluropalladinite) whereas Pd(L2-H)Cl with tridentate coordination mode of ligand yielded PdTe (kotulskite). Bimetallic alloy nanostructures possess high catalytic potential for Suzuki coupling of aryl chlorides, and reduction of 4-nitrophenol. They are also recyclable upto six reaction cycles in Suzuki coupling.