What are 5 interesting facts about germanium?
Here are a few important facts about Germanium.
- Atomic number: 32.
- Atomic weight: 72.630.
- Melting point: 1211.40 K (938.25°C or 1720.85°F)
- Boiling point: 3106 K (2833°C or 5131°F)
- Density: 5.323 grams per cubic centimeter.
- Phase at room temperature: Solid.
- Element classification: Semi-metal.
- Period number: 4.
What makes germanium unique?
It is a semiconductor. Germanium and the oxide are transparent to infrared radiation. Germanium also has the unusual property that (like water) it expands as it freezes. Four other elements expand when they freeze; silicon, bismuth, antimony and gallium.
Is germanium safe to touch?
Route of Entry: Skin Contact Skin Absorption Eye Contact Inhalation Ingestion Germanium metal is relatively non-toxic by all routes of exposure, particularly in massive forms.
What was germanium first used for?
The first use of germanium on a large scale was to replace the most basic electronic component, the diode.
Why is germanium important?
Many other substances now also are used as semiconductors, but germanium remains of primary importance in the manufacture of transistors and of components for devices such as rectifiers and photocells. Properties of germanium.
Is germanium hard or soft?
Germanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ge and atomic number 32. It is a lustrous, hard-brittle, grayish-white metalloid in the carbon group, chemically similar to its group neighbors silicon and tin.
Is germanium transparent?
Because germanium is transparent to infrared radiation, it is employed in equipment used for detecting and measuring such radiation, such as windows and lenses.
Is germanium magnetic?
Germanium is considered a technology-critical element. Germanium is not thought to be an essential element for any living organism….
| Germanium | |
|---|---|
| Magnetic ordering | diamagnetic |
| Molar magnetic susceptibility | −76.84×10−6 cm3/mol |
| Young’s modulus | 103 GPa |
| Shear modulus | 41 GPa |
What is germanium good for?
There have been claims that germanium may be beneficial for health, including improving the immune system, oxygen supply in the body, and destroying free radicals. According to Healthline, germanium has also been considered to be beneficial in treating allergies, asthma, arthritis, HIV/AIDS and various forms of cancer.
Does germanium react with water?
Pure germanium is a hard, lustrous, gray-white, brittle metalloid. It has a diamondlike crystalline structure and it is similar in chemical and physical properties to silicon. Germanium is stable in air and water, and is unaffected by alkalis and acids, except nitric acid.
Is germanium a rare earth metal?
Cerium, the most common, is similar in abundance to copper and more abundant than lead, tin, cadmium, boron, tantalum, germanium and numerous other commonly used elements. Even so, rare earth elements are in short supply.
Where is germanium found on Earth?
Germanium is primarily mined with zinc ore as well as with argyrodite, germanite, and coal according to the Los Alamos National Laboratory. According to Chemistry Explained, germanium is mined in Alaska, Tennessee, China, the United Kingdom, Ukraine, Russia and Belgium.
What are the fast facts about germanium?
Germanium Fast Facts 1 Element Name: Germanium 2 Element Symbol: Ge 3 Atomic Number: 32 4 Atomic Weight: 72.6308 5 Appearance: Grayish-white hard solid with a metallic luster 6 Group: Group 14 (Carbon Group) 7 Period: Period 4 8 Discovery: Clemens Winkler (1886)
Which elements are more abundant than germanium in the universe?
All of the elements of lower nuclear charge than germanium, except beryllium, boron, scandium, and gallium, are cosmically more abundant than germanium. Cosmically, germanium is believed to be one of the many elements formed by neutron absorption after the initial processes of hydrogen and helium burning and alpha-particle absorption.
Does germanium expand when it freezes?
Germanium is one of the few elements that expands when it freezes. Others include gallium, silicon, bismuth and antimony. Germanium abundance in the Earth’s crust: 1.5 parts per million by weight, 0.42 parts per million by moles.