Tellurium is a chemical element with symbol Te and atomic number 52. It is a brittle, mildly toxic, rare, silver-white metalloid. Tellurium is chemically related to selenium and sulfur.
Three reasons Tellurium stands out
- 1
Used in alloys and solar cells.
- 2
Ingesting even a tiny amount causes an intense garlic-like odour on the breath that can persist for weeks.
- 3
Despite being a solid metalloid, it is actually rarer in the Earth's crust than gold.
A solar material named for the Earth
Tellurium is rarer in Earth’s crust than many precious metals, yet it concentrates as a by-product of copper refining. Cadmium telluride converts sunlight into electricity in thin-film panels. The element’s name comes from tellus, Latin for Earth, while its chemical relatives include sulfur and selenium.