Wikijunior:The Elements/Tellurium

Shows the position of Tellurium on the periodic chart.

Tellurium's symbol on the Periodic Table

What does it look, feel, taste, or smell like?

Ultra pure tellurium crystal

Tellurium is a silver-white metalloid. Tellurium compounds generally smell awful. If a human being is exposed to tellurium, even in very small amounts — keeping in mind, tellurium is toxic, so people shouldn't be exposed to it, even in very small amounts — their body metabolizes it so that their breath then smells so horrible that, reportedly, lab workers exposed to tellurium had to be given a leave of absence till it worked out of their system.

Where did its name come from?

The name "tellurium" comes from the Latin word tellus meaning "earth".

Where is it found?

Did You Know?

• Tellurium is chemically related to selenium and sulfur.
• Tellurium was discovered in the 18th century in a gold ore from the mines in Romania.
• Tellurium has two allotropes, crystalline and amorphous.

Is it dangerous?

Yes. Tellurium is mildly toxic, so people should be very careful when handling it.