INTRODUCTION
Germanium is in the same chemical family as carbon, silicon, tin, and lead, and resembles these elements in forming organic derivatives such as tetraethyl germanium and tetraphenyl germanium.
It was named after the country of Germany, where it was discovered.Germanium is the 54th most abundant elements on the Earth's crust.
BASIC INFORMATIONS
- Atomic Number
- 32
- Atomic Mass
- 72.63
- Atomic radius
- 0.122
- Ionization energy
- 760
- Electronic config
- 2,8,18,4
- Principal Valency
- +4
- Density g/cm³
- 5.32
- Melting point °C
- 938.25
- Boiling point °C
- 2833
- Type of Element
- Metalloid
- Electronegativity
- 1.8
- Element Category
- Carbon Family
- Appearance
- Gray white solid
- Block
- p-block
- Period
- 4
- Group
- 14
- No of Isotopes
- 32
- Occurrence
- Combine form
- Abundance in ppm
- 1.5
- Year of Discovery
- 1886
EXTRACTION
It is extracted from other metals by distillation of the tetrachloride.
OXIDATION STATES
+4,+3,+2,+1,0,-1,-2,-3,-4 (Amphoteric)
MAJOR SOURCE
Flue dust from smelting Zn ores
EXAMPLES OF COMPOUND PRESENT
Germanopropane, Germanium oxide
ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE
* Germanium was the first metal used in the transistor, the electronic device that requires far less current than the vacuum tube.
* Germanium oxide is used in the manufacture of optical glass and as a drug in the treatment of pernicious anemia.
* It is used as detectors for ultra-high-frequency radio and radar signals.
* It is used for making prisms, lenses, and windows in infra-red spectrometers.
