Rh3Te8 crystallizes in the trigonal R-3 space group. Rh(1) is bonded to two equivalent Te(1) and four equivalent Te(2) atoms to form RhTe6 octahedra that share corners with eight equivalent Rh(1)Te6 octahedra and corners with two equivalent Te(1)TeRh3 trigonal pyramids. The corner-sharing octahedral tilt angles range from 62-63°. There are two inequivalent Te sites. In the first Te site, Te(1) is bonded to three equivalent Rh(1) and one Te(1) atom to form distorted TeTeRh3 trigonal pyramids that share corners with three equivalent Rh(1)Te6 octahedra and corners with three equivalent Te(1)TeRh3 trigonal pyramids. The corner-sharing octahedral tilt angles are 81°. In the second Te site, Te(2) is bonded in a 3-coordinate geometry to two equivalent Rh(1) and one Te(2) atom.
Rh3Te8 crystallizes in the trigonal R-3 space group. Rh(1) is bonded to two equivalent Te(1) and four equivalent Te(2) atoms to form RhTe6 octahedra that share corners with eight equivalent Rh(1)Te6 octahedra and corners with two equivalent Te(1)TeRh3 trigonal pyramids. The corner-sharing octahedral tilt angles range from 62-63°. Both Rh(1)-Te(1) bond lengths are 2.71 Å. There are two shorter (2.67 Å) and two longer (2.68 Å) Rh(1)-Te(2) bond lengths. There are two inequivalent Te sites. In the first Te site, Te(1) is bonded to three equivalent Rh(1) and one Te(1) atom to form distorted TeTeRh3 trigonal pyramids that share corners with three equivalent Rh(1)Te6 octahedra and corners with three equivalent Te(1)TeRh3 trigonal pyramids. The corner-sharing octahedral tilt angles are 81°. The Te(1)-Te(1) bond length is 2.89 Å. In the second Te site, Te(2) is bonded in a 3-coordinate geometry to two equivalent Rh(1) and one Te(2) atom. The Te(2)-Te(2) bond length is 2.84 Å.