Germanium

By: Charles Bach

History

• The name Germanium is derived from the Latin word Germania, which is after Germany.

• It was discovered by Clemens A. Winkler in Freiberg, Germany in 1886.

• This element was predicted also by Dmitri Mendeleev in 1871, but he called it ekasilicon.

• He predict some of its properties due to the location of the element on the periodic table.

• He came to the conclusion that it would have the same characteristics as silicon, so he named it ekasilicon.

Properties

• Color: Grey white metallic with a crystalline structure

• State at Room Temp: Solid• Melting Point: 1210.6 K

(938 degrees Celsius) • Boiling points: 3103 K

(2830 degrees Celsius)• Density @ 293K: 5.323

g/cm3

Properties

• Atomic Number: • Number of Protons: 32• Number of Electrons: 32• Number of Neutrons: 41• Filling Orbital: 4p2

• Valence Electrons: 4s2p2

• Isotopes:24 whose half-lives are unknown with mass numbers 58-85 with 74Ge being most abundant

Uses

• Germanium are transparent to the infrared and are used in infrared spectroscopes and other optical equipment

• Most common is as a semiconductor, it being a metalloid it is very useful as a conductor.

• Also use in wide- angle camera lenses, microscope objectives, and as an catalyst.

Availability

• Germanium is found in many metals, such as– Zinc ores, coal , argyrodite( sulfide of germanium

and silver, and germanite and many others.• It is acquired by retrieving the metal from the

by products of smelting the metals listed above.• It is most commonly found in germanite.• Cost of pure: $360 per 100g• Cost of Bulk: $120 per 100g