Tb(CuTe)3 crystallizes in the trigonal R-3 space group. Tb(1) is bonded to six equivalent Te(1) atoms to form distorted TbTe6 octahedra that share corners with twelve equivalent Cu(1)Te4 tetrahedra, edges with three equivalent Tb(1)Te6 octahedra, and edges with six equivalent Cu(1)Te4 tetrahedra. Cu(1) is bonded to four equivalent Te(1) atoms to form distorted CuTe4 tetrahedra that share corners with four equivalent Tb(1)Te6 octahedra, corners with six equivalent Cu(1)Te4 tetrahedra, edges with two equivalent Tb(1)Te6 octahedra, and edges with three equivalent Cu(1)Te4 tetrahedra. The corner-sharing octahedral tilt angles range from 17-59°. Te(1) is bonded in a 6-coordinate geometry to two equivalent Tb(1) and four equivalent Cu(1) atoms.
Tb(CuTe)3 crystallizes in the trigonal R-3 space group. Tb(1) is bonded to six equivalent Te(1) atoms to form distorted TbTe6 octahedra that share corners with twelve equivalent Cu(1)Te4 tetrahedra, edges with three equivalent Tb(1)Te6 octahedra, and edges with six equivalent Cu(1)Te4 tetrahedra. All Tb(1)-Te(1) bond lengths are 3.08 Å. Cu(1) is bonded to four equivalent Te(1) atoms to form distorted CuTe4 tetrahedra that share corners with four equivalent Tb(1)Te6 octahedra, corners with six equivalent Cu(1)Te4 tetrahedra, edges with two equivalent Tb(1)Te6 octahedra, and edges with three equivalent Cu(1)Te4 tetrahedra. The corner-sharing octahedral tilt angles range from 17-59°. There are a spread of Cu(1)-Te(1) bond distances ranging from 2.58-2.68 Å. Te(1) is bonded in a 6-coordinate geometry to two equivalent Tb(1) and four equivalent Cu(1) atoms.