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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.
Where is Germanium Found. Germanium rarely occurs as pure ore compounds and is found in small amounts in minerals like argyrodite and germanite [1]. While it can also be obtained from zinc ores, flue dust from zinc smelting is a commercial source of germanium [1]. Moreover, it can be recovered from coal combustion by-products [1].
Germanium is a chemical element; it has symbol Ge and atomic number 32. It is lustrous, hard-brittle, grayish-white and similar in appearance to silicon. It is a metalloid (more rarely considered a metal) in the carbon group that is chemically similar to its group neighbors silicon and tin.
Germanium is found in argyrodite (a sulfide of germanium and silver), in germanite (composed of about 8% of the element), in coal, in zinc ores, and other minerals. The element may be commercially prepared from the flue dust of smelters processing zinc ores or from the by-products of the combustion of certain coals.
Germanium is a rare, silver-colored semiconductor metal that is used in infrared technology, fiber optic cables, and solar cells.
Germanium is a semiconductor. The pure element was commonly doped with arsenic, gallium or other elements and used as a transistor in thousands of electronic applications. Today, however, other semiconductors have replaced it. Germanium oxide has a high index of refraction and dispersion.
The existence of germanium was predicted by Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleev in 1869, after he developed the periodic table of elements, according to Chemistry Explained. Arranging the elements...
History and Discovery. Dmitri Mendeleev predicted the existence of germanium in 1869. He named it eka-silicon and proposed some of the physical characteristics of the then unknown metal. Later, Clemens Winker discovered germanium from a rare mineral known as argyrodite, in 1886 [1].
Germanium is rare and constitutes about 1.5 ppm of the Earth's crust. It doesn't exist in pure form in nature but is often found as a trace element in minerals like argyrodite and germanite. Commercial production usually extracts germanium as a byproduct of zinc ore processing or from the combustion of certain types of coal. Uses and Applications
germanium, Semimetallic chemical element, chemical symbol Ge, atomic number 32. Germanium, which resembles silicon in its physical properties, is used especially in semiconductor devices. Discovered in 1886, it became economically significant after 1945 and remains of primary importance in the manufacture of transistors and of components for ...