Germanium

Germanium is an important semiconductor material. Germanium is also used as an alloying agent, a catalyst, and as a phosphor for fluorescent lamps. Germanium has 32 protons and 32 electrons, and on average 40.64 nuetrons.    __**Uses**__  The most common uses of Germanium are mostly semi-conductors that can be found in Electric guitar amplifiers, an alloying agent, Infra-red spectroscopes/optical equipment, Camera/microscope lenses and for Medical purposes. The largest use of germanium is in the semiconductor industry. When Germanium is mixed with small amounts of arsenic, gallium, indium, antimony or phosphorus, it can be used to make transistors for use in some electronic devices. Germanium is also used to create alloys and as a phosphor in fluorescent lamps. It is also used in infrared spectroscopes and infrared detectors. Both germanium and germanium oxide (GeO) are transparent to infrared radiation and are used in infrared optical instruments and infrared detectors. Some germanium compounds seem to be effective in killing types of bacteria, and are currently being studied for use in chemotherapy.
 * Germanium ** is a [|chemical element] with the [|symbol] ** Ge ** and has an [|atomic number] of ** 32 ** . It is a grayish to white [|metalloid] in the [|carbon group], chemically similar to group neighbors [|tin] and [|silicon] . Germanium has five naturally occurring [|isotopes], ranging in [|atomic mass] from 70-76. Few minerals contain it in large concentration. Despite the fact that germanium is very abundant in Earth's crust, Germanium was discovered late in comparison to the other elements. In 1869, [|Dmitri Mendeleev] was able to statistically predict its existence and some of its properties based on its location on the  <span style="color: #006cb0; font-family: verdana; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">[|periodic table of the elements], and called the element, " ** ekasilicon" ** . A few decades later, Clemens Winkler found Germanium in the mineral argyrodite. Winkler found that his observations agreed with <span style="color: #cc2200; font-family: verdana; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">[|Mendeleev's] predictions. After more studying and confirmation of it being a new element, he named the element after his country Germany.
 * Classification: || Metalloid ||
 * Color: || Gray-white ||
 * Atomic weight: || 72.64 ||
 * State: || solid ||
 * Melting point: || 938<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: left;">° C, 1210.6 K ||
 * Boiling point: || 2830<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: left;">° C, 3103 K ||
 * Shells: || 2,8,18,4 ||
 * Electron configuration: || [Ar] 3d10 4s2 4p2 ||
 * Density @ 20oC: || 5.323 g/cm<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: left;">³ ||
 * Atomic volume: || 13.6 cm<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: left;">³ /mol ||
 * Structure: || diamond structure ||
 * Hardness: || 6 mohs ||
 * Estimated Crustal Abundance: || 1.5 milligrams per kilogram ||
 * Estimated Oceanic Abundance: || 5×10-5 milligrams per liter ||
 * doped with arsenic, gallium, or other elements for use as a transistor element. Its application as a semiconductor provides the largest use for germanium
 * alloying agent
 * phosphor in fluorescent lamps
 * a catalyst
 * germanium and germanium oxide are transparent to the infrared and are used in infrared spectroscopes and other optical equipment, including extremely sensitive infrared detectors. Also for wide-angle camera lenses and microscope objectives.
 * possible chemotherapy applications
 * use as a gamma-radiation detector

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; display: block; font-family: verdana; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;"> __** Sources **__ The main ore of germanium is germanite, which is about 7% germanium. Commercially, germanium is obtained as a byproduct of metal refining and from some coal ashes as well as within zinc ores and other minerals. __ **Isotopes** __  Germanium has 24 isotopes whose half-lives are known, with mass numbers 58 to 85. Of these isotopes, five are stable: 70Ge, 72Ge, 73Ge, 74Ge and 76Ge. With the most abundant being 74Ge with an occurrence rate of 35.9%


 * Cost, pure: ** $360 per100g
 * Cost, bulk: ** $120 per 100g

[] [] []
 * Sources: **
 * Symbol: ** Ge ** Atomic Number: ** 32 ** Atomic Mass: ** 72.61 amu ** Melting Point: ** 937.4 °C (1210.55 K, 1719.3201 °F) ** Boiling Point: ** 2830.0 °C (3103.15 K, 5126.0 °F) ** Number of Protons/Electrons: ** 32 ** Number of Neutrons: ** 41 ** Classification: ** Metalloid ** Crystal Structure: ** Cubic ** Density @ 293 K: ** 5.323 g/cm3 ** Color: ** grayish

Atomic Structure

 * [[image:http://www.chemicalelements.com/bohr/b0032.gif width="276" height="275"]] ||  || **Number of Energy Levels:** 4
 * First Energy Level:** **Second Energy Level:** **Third Energy Level:** **Fourth Energy Level:** ||

Isotopes

 * ** Isotope ** || ** Half Life ** ||
 * Ge-68 || 270.8 days ||
 * Ge-69 || 1.6 days ||
 * Ge-70 || Stable ||
 * Ge-71 || 11.4 days ||
 * Ge-72 || Stable ||
 * Ge-73 || Stable ||
 * Ge-74 || Stable ||
 * Ge-76 || Stable ||
 * Ge-77 || 11.3 hours ||

Facts

 * Date of Discovery: ** 1886 ** Discoverer: ** Clemens Winkler ** Name Origin: ** From the Latin word // Germania //, meaning Germany ** Uses: ** semiconductors ** Obtained From: ** refining of copper, zinc, lead