Fine-tuning of optical properties with salts of discrete or polymeric, heterobimetallic telluride anions [M4micro4-Te)(SnTe4)4](10-) (M = Mn, Zn, Cd, Hg) and 3{[Hg4(micro4-Te)(SnTe4)3](6-)}.

Compounds with first discrete M/Sn/Te anions--exhibiting a series of optical absorption energies in the semiconductor range-are obtained by reactions of K+ or Rb+ salts of [SnTe4](4-) with MCl2 (M = Mn, Zn, Cd, Hg) in H2O or H2O-MeOH; larger Cs+ cations provoke the formation of a polymeric derivative of the ternary anionic structure.