Activation of tellurium with Zintl ions: 1/infinity{[Ge5Te10]4-}, an inorganic polymer with germanium in three different oxidation states.

The solvothermal reaction among tellurium, manganese, and the Zintl compound K(4)Ge(9) has led to the formation of a polymeric mixed-valent complex {[Mn(en)(3)](2)(Ge(5)Te(10))}(n) (1; en = ethylenediamine). The most interesting structural feature of this material is the presence of three different oxidation states of germanium centers and the formation of Ge-Ge bonds in the infinite polymeric chains (1)/(infinity){[Ge(5)Te(10)](4-)}. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy characterization confirms the different oxidation states of germanium.