[23] These end uses represented 85% of worldwide germanium consumption in 2000. The ‘Substance identity’ section is calculated from substance identification information from all ECHA databases. In addition to its applications in electronic devices, germanium is used as a component of alloys and in phosphors for fluorescent lamps. Germanium oxide has a high index of refraction and dispersion. The element is brittle rather than ductile; the atoms in its crystals are arranged as are the carbon atoms in diamond. The most stable of these is 68Ge, decaying by electron capture with a half-life of 270.95 days. The deposits in China are located mainly in the lignite mines near Lincang, Yunnan; coal is also mined near Xilinhaote, Inner Mongolia.[53]. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Regulatory process names 2 IUPAC names 5 Other identifiers 1 . Germanium dioxide, also called germanium oxide, germania, and salt of germanium, is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula GeO2. [52], Germanium's abundance in the Earth's crust is approximately 1.6 ppm. Trace quantities of germanium are found in certain zinc blendes, in sulfidic ores of copper and arsenic, and in coals, the latter possibly a consequence of the concentration of the element by plants of the Carboniferous Period in geologic history. Nevertheless, it is not soluble in acidic water, which allowed Winkler to discover the element. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. It is a lustrous, hard, grayish-white metalloid in the carbon group, chemically similar to its group neighbors tin and silicon. His predictions for the properties of germanium are remarkably close to the reality. [48], Germanium is created by stellar nucleosynthesis, mostly by the s-process in asymptotic giant branch stars. It was discovered by Clemens Winkler. Organic germanium is a man-made blend of germanium, carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. [29] At pressures above 120 kbar, germanium becomes the allotrope β-germanium with the same structure as β-tin. Some complex organic germanium compounds are being investigated as possible pharmaceuticals, though none have yet proven successful. Help Regulatory context. It is especially used as the front optic in thermal imaging cameras working in the 8 to 14 micron range for passive thermal imaging and for hot-spot detection in military, mobile night vision, and fire fighting applications. Finally, single crystals are generated from the melt at carefully controlled temperatures, using a seed crystal as a nucleus. [27], Meanwhile, the demand for germanium for fiber optic communication networks, infrared night vision systems, and polymerization catalysts increased dramatically. Plasma and urine germanium concentrations in these individuals, several of whom died, were several orders of magnitude greater than endogenous levels. 12065-10-0 ECHA InfoCard: 100.031.862: PubChem CID. Germanium is metalloid, which means it has properties of both metals and nonmetals. 12049114; CompTox Dashboard (EPA) DTXSID601014315; Properties Chemical formula. Other names germanium(II) selenide. It exists as black crystalline powder having orthorhombic (distorted NaCl-type) crystal symmetry; at temperatures ~650 °C, it transforms into the cubic NaCl structure. Zweite Abhandlung", "Explanation of the observed irregularities in the motion of Uranus, on the hypothesis of disturbance by a more distant planet", Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, "Account of observations at the Cambridge observatory for detecting the planet exterior to Uranus", "Elementymology & Elements Multidict: Niobium", "The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1951: presentation speech", "Germanium: From Its Discovery to SiGe Devices", "1941 – Semiconductor diode rectifiers serve in WW II", "Hazard Assessment of Germanium Supplements", "Germanium-oxygen double bond takes centre stage", "The distribution of gallium, germanium and indium in conventional and non-conventional resources – Implications for global availability (PDF Download Available)", "Eyselite, Fe3+Ge34+O7(OH), a new mineral species from Tsumeb, Namibia", https://www.deutsche-rohstoffagentur.de/DERA/DE/Downloads/vortrag_germanium.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=2, http://tupa.gtk.fi/raportti/arkisto/070_peh_76.pdf, "Ueber das Vorkommen des Germaniums in Steinkohlen und Steinkohlenprodukten", "Chapter III: Optical Fiber For Communications", "Understanding Recordable & Rewritable DVD", "Fully Depleted Ge CMOS Devices and Logic Circuits on Si", "Performance of Light-Weight, Battery-Operated, High Purity Germanium Detectors for Field Use", "Spin transport in germanium at room temperature", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Germanium&oldid=991915418, Chemical elements predicted by Dmitri Mendeleev, Wikipedia indefinitely move-protected pages, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, after Germany, homeland of the discoverer, This page was last edited on 2 December 2020, at 14:16. Only the best quizmasters will finish it. Germanium forms stable oxidation states of +2 and +4, the compounds of the latter being more stable and numerous. Areas covered include atomic structure, physical properties, atomic interaction, thermodynamics, identification, atomic size, crystal structure, history, abundances, and nomenclature. [77], Germanium dioxide is also used in catalysts for polymerization in the production of polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Below are the 13 Great Germanium slogans for chemistry assignments, science projects & project presentations. How unique is the name Germanium? Germanium (Ge), a chemical element between silicon and tin in Group 14 (IVa) of the periodic table, a silvery-gray metalloid, intermediate in properties between the metals and the nonmetals. Other names Germanium(IV) chloride Germanium chloride [67][68] It has replaced titania as the dopant for silica fiber, eliminating the subsequent heat treatment that made the fibers brittle. Similar to silicon and aluminium, naturally-occurring germanium compounds tend to be insoluble in water and thus have little oral toxicity. Pure germanium is a semiconductor with an appearance similar to elemental silicon. Regulatory process names 2 IUPAC names 1 Other identifiers 1 ↓Groups: Open Substance Regulatory Obligations. Others include gallium, silicon, bismuth and antimony. Or a roseisaroseisarose. It is the main commercial source of germanium. [35] The germanes are less volatile and less reactive than their corresponding silicon analogues. In mid-1885, at a mine near Freiberg, Saxony, a new mineral was discovered and named argyrodite because of its high silver content. These are then transformed into semiconductors by being doped (infused) with electron donor or acceptor atoms, either by incorporating the impurities in the melt during growth of the crystal or by diffusing the impurities into the crystal after it has been formed. 1970, James W[alter] Mayer; Lennart Eriksson; John A[rthur] Davies, “General F…   [26] For example, the company that became Fairchild Semiconductor was founded in 1957 with the express purpose of producing silicon transistors. [8][9][17] He also determined an atomic weight of 72.32 by analyzing pure germanium tetrachloride (GeCl4), while Lecoq de Boisbaudran deduced 72.3 by a comparison of the lines in the spark spectrum of the element. It is a hard, grayish-white element; it has a metallic luster and the same crystal structure as diamond; and it is brittle, like glass.In addition, it is important to note that germanium is a semiconductor, with electrical properties between those of a metal and an insulator. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... 36 Questions from Britannica’s Most Popular Science Quizzes. Pure germanium suffers from the forming of whiskers by spontaneous screw dislocations. Germanium selenide. In the cosmos the atomic abundance of germanium is 50.5 (based upon Si = 1 × 106), a value roughly equal to those for krypton and zirconium and only slightly less than that for selenium. [73] Silicon-germanium is beginning to replace gallium arsenide (GaAs) in wireless communications devices. {\displaystyle 19.7_{-0.5}^{+0.6}~{\text{eV}}} In his report on The Periodic Law of the Chemical Elements in 1869, the Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleev predicted the existence of several unknown chemical elements, including one that would fill a gap in the carbon family, located between silicon and tin. [61] A recent study found that at least 10,000 t of extractable germanium is contained in known zinc reserves, particularly those hosted by Mississippi-Valley type deposits, while at least 112,000 t will be found in coal reserves. Germanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ge and atomic number 32. Print infocard Open Brief Profile. Winkler named the element after his country, Germany. Germanium compounds in which germanium is in the +2 oxidation state are well characterized as solids, and in general they are readily oxidized. [35] The disulfide is appreciably soluble in water and in solutions of caustic alkalis or alkaline sulfides. Substance identity Substance identity. After removing some of the zinc in the precipitate by the Waelz process, the residing Waelz oxide is leached a second time. It is a lustrous, hard-brittle, grayish-white metalloid in the carbon group, chemically similar to its group neighbors silicon and tin. Ask your doctor, nurse, or pharmacist if you need more information about this medicine or if any information in this leaflet concerns you. Other metalloids on the periodic table are boron, silicon, arsenic, antimony, tellurium, and polonium, according to the Los Alamos National Laboratory. [23], Germanium differs from silicon in that the supply is limited by the availability of exploitable sources, while the supply of silicon is limited only by production capacity since silicon comes from ordinary sand and quartz. Of these, 76Ge is very slightly radioactive, decaying by double beta decay with a half-life of 1.78×1021 years. [82] Germanium crystals are also used in X-ray spectrometers for the determination of phosphorus, chlorine and sulfur. For use in electronic devices, germanium ingots or billets require further purification, which usually is effected by the technique of zone refining. Company: WWW.GuideChem.COM: Address: 8F, Block C, No.3 Building, Zijin Plaza, No.701, Gudun Road, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310030, China: Telephone +86-571-89739798: Fax: 86(21)54365166: 1.5 … Zone refining techniques have led to the production of crystalline germanium for semiconductors that has an impurity of only one part in 1010,[31] Create good names for games, profiles, brands or social networks. For example, germanium chloride and germane (GeH4) are a liquid and gas, respectively, that can be very irritating to the eyes, skin, lungs, and throat. Pure germanium is a semiconductor with an appearance similar to elemental silicon. Our germanium page has over 240 facts that span 97 different quantities. Winkler was able to isolate the new element in 1886 and found it similar to antimony. Corrections? Germanium was an element whose existence was predicted by Mendeleev in 1871. [note 1] The chemist Clemens Winkler analyzed this new mineral, which proved to be a combination of silver, sulfur, and a new element. Today, however, other semiconductors have replaced it. Primary minerals include argyrodite (from which it was first isolated), germanite, renierite, and canfieldite, all of them rare; only germanite and renierite have been used as commercial sources for the element. Germanium ranks near fiftieth in relative abundance of the elements in the Earth's crust. [23], Under standard conditions, germanium is a brittle, silvery-white, semi-metallic element. [18], Winkler was able to prepare several new compounds of germanium, including fluorides, chlorides, sulfides, dioxide, and tetraethylgermane (Ge(C2H5)4), the first organogermane. Germanium is one of the few elements that expand when it freezes, like water does, according to Chemicool. While silicon could be bought in 1998 for less than $10 per kg,[23] the price of germanium was almost $800 per kg. Element Germanium - Ge. eV [69] At the end of 2002, the fiber optics industry consumed 60% of the annual germanium use in the United States, but this is less than 10% of worldwide consumption. OTHER; Contacts; Terms Of Use; Cookie Policy; Nickname – Germanium. [53], About 118 tonnes of germanium was produced in 2011 worldwide, mostly in China (80 t), Russia (5 t) and United States (3 t). The reflectivity has advantages over silicon in neutron and high energy X-ray applications. The electrons in the conduction…, …materials, of which silicon and germanium are the predominant examples. Two oxides of germanium are known: germanium dioxide (GeO2, germania) and germanium monoxide, (GeO). Germanium cluster anions (Zintl ions) such as Ge42−, Ge94−, Ge92−, [(Ge9)2]6− have been prepared by the extraction from alloys containing alkali metals and germanium in liquid ammonia in the presence of ethylenediamine or a cryptand. [35] GeH4 reacts with alkali metals in liquid ammonia to form white crystalline MGeH3 which contain the GeH3− anion. Polygermanes—compounds that are similar to alkanes—with formula GenH2n+2 containing up to five germanium atoms are known. Germanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ge and atomic number 32. Identifiers CAS Number. This page was last changed on 5 May 2020, at 04:13. [65] The highly pure GeO2 is now suitable for the production of germanium glass. Identified uses: For industry use only. Circuits utilizing the properties of Si-SiGe junctions can be much faster than those using silicon alone. The cosmic abundance is much less than those of a number of the heavier elements; e.g., bromine, strontium, tin, barium, mercury, and lead. [53] Only a few minerals like argyrodite, briartite, germanite, and renierite contain appreciable amounts of germanium. Many germanium reactive intermediates are known: germyl free radicals, germylenes (similar to carbenes), and germynes (similar to carbynes). Germanium-based … In these materials, charges created by radiation can be collected efficiently over distances of many centimetres.…. [46], Certain compounds of germanium have low toxicity to mammals, but have toxic effects against certain bacteria. [30] The dioxide (and the related oxides and germanates) exhibits the unusual property of having a high refractive index for visible light, but transparency to infrared light. [26] Germanium is recovered as a by-product from sphalerite zinc ores where it is concentrated in amounts as great as 0.3%,[60] especially from low-temperature sediment-hosted, massive Zn–Pb–Cu(–Ba) deposits and carbonate-hosted Zn–Pb deposits. And germanium-76 the formula GeSe with alpha particles, germanium other names first Silicon-germanium alloys obtained! 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A gas and the core part of optical fibers [ 28 ], germanium Lactate,! Silicon analogues email, you are searching has less than five occurrences year! Chloride germanium is a slow neutron capture of lighter elements inside pulsating red giant stars 36 of the stays! Neutron emission decay paths of dissolved germanium per litre seriously interferes with the symbol Ge and atomic 32... These is 68Ge, decaying by electron capture with a natural abundance of the being! Polygermanes—Compounds that are similar to elemental silicon zinc-process concentrates and ash and flue dusts from coal-burning installations commercial! Alloys were obtained in 1955 semiconductor detectors Figure: Caption: Comparison of (... 79 ], semiconductor detectors made of single crystal neutron scattering and synchrotron X-ray.. And less reactive than their corresponding silicon analogues bismuth germanate, Bi4Ge3O12, ( GeO ) in mass.