The growth of paratellurite single crystals by the vertical-gradient freezing technique is reported for the first time. Boules of 120mm long and 25mm in diameter were obtained under a temperature gradient of 10degreesC cm(-1) and translation rates lower than 0.6 mm h(-1). The spatial distribution of defects along the growth axis reveals a continuous evolution of the free convective fluid-flow regime as growth proceeds. Gas bubbles and dark inclusions rejected to the periphery in the upper part of the crystal are observed to lay preferentially in (100), (001), (1 (1) over bar0) and (112) crystallographic planes Among them, SEM and microprobe analyses evidenced the presence of metallic platinum, while micro-Raman experiments allowed to assess oxygen as being actually the gas content of occluded bubbles, originated at the crucible wall through Pt-induced dissociation of Te-O bonds. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.