GERMANIUM

The chemical element germanium has the symbol Ge and the atomic number 32. Pure germanium is a semiconductor that resembles elemental silicon in appearance. In nature, germanium, like silicon, interacts with oxygen and creates complexes.

Germanium was discovered relatively late in the history of chemistry due to the fact that it is rarely found in high concentrations in nature. Germanium is one of the elements with the greatest relative abundance in the Earth’s crust, ranking near the fifty-fifth position. Dmitri Mendeleev predicted the element’s existence and some of its properties based on its position on his periodic table in 1869, and named it ekasilicon in honor of the Russian scientist. Clemens Winkler discovered the new element in a rare mineral called argyrodite in 1886, over two decades after the discovery of silver and sulfur by the first scientist. Despite the fact that the new element’s appearance was similar to that of arsenic and antimony, the combining ratios in compounds were consistent with Mendeleev’s expectations for a silicon-related element. Winkler called the element after the country in which he grew up, Germany. In today’s world, germanium is mined primarily from sphalerite (the primary ore of zinc), though it can also be recovered commercially from silver, lead, and copper ores, among other sources.

CHARACTERISTICS

under typical conditions, germanium is a semi-metallic element that is brittle, silvery-white, and brittle. A type of allotrope known as -germanium exists in this form, and it has a metallic sheen and a cubic crystal structure, which is identical to that of diamond.  While germanium is in crystal form, it has a displacement threshold energy of 19.7-0.5+o.6[30] kcal/mol. When germanium is subjected to pressures greater than 120 kbar, it transforms into the allotrope -germanium, which has the same structure as tin. Germanium, along with other elements such as silicon, gallium, bismuth, antimony, and water, is one of the few substances that expands when it solidifies (i.e. freezes) from its liquid condition. 

Germanium is classified as a semiconductor. Because of the use of zone refining procedures, it is now possible to produce crystalline germanium for semiconductors with an impurity content of only one part in 1010, making it one of the purest materials ever discovered. An alloy of germanium, uranium, and rhodium was discovered to be a superconductor in the presence of a very strong electromagnetic field in 2005, and it was the first metallic material ever known to do so.

Isotopes: Germanium occurs naturally in five isotopes,70Ge,72Ge,73Ge,74Ge, and 76Ge.Only 76 Ge is radioactive, with a half-life of 1.781021 years and decaying by double beta decay. The remaining elements are all radioactive to a very low level. 74Ge is the most common isotope, with a natural abundance of approximately 36%. It is also the most stable. A natural abundance of around 7 percent is found in the element 76Ge, which is the least common. When hit with alpha particles, the isotope 72Ge will decay to the stable isotope 77Se, releasing a large number of high-energy electrons as a result. As a result, it is utilized in nuclear batteries in conjunction with radon to generate electricity. 

Occurrence:Stellar nucleosynthesis, primarily the s-process in asymptotic giant branch stars, is responsible for the production of germanium. A gradual neutron capture of lighter elements occurs within pulsating red giant stars, and is referred to as the s process. A rare element known as germanium has been discovered in the atmosphere of Jupiter as well as some of the most distant stars ki. 

Approximately 1.6 parts per million (ppm) of germanium can be found in the Earth’s surface crust.

Properties of Germanium:

• Typically doped with arsenic and other elements, germanium is used as a semiconductor and as a transistor in a variety of electronic applications. 
• The germanium oxides have high dispersion index and refraction. 
• The germanium oxides are used to make wide angle camera lenses and lenses for microscopes as well. 
• It is also used as an alloying agent when in contact with fluorescent lamps, as well as a catalyst in certain applications. 
• Germanium and germanium oxides are used in infrared spectroscopes because they are transparent to infrared radiation, which makes them ideal for this application. 

CONCLUSION: 

The chemical element germanium has the symbol Ge and the atomic number 32. Pure germanium is a semiconductor that resembles elemental silicon in appearance. In nature, germanium, like silicon, interacts with oxygen and creates complexes.under typical conditions, germanium is a semi-metallic element that is brittle, silvery-white, and brittle.  A type of allotrope known as -germanium exists in this form, and it has a metallic sheen and a cubic crystal structure, which is identical to that of diamond. While germanium is in crystal form, it has a displacement threshold energy of 19.7-0.5  to    +o.6 kcal/mol. When germanium is subjected to pressures greater than 120 kbar, it transforms into the allotrope -germanium, which has the same structure as tin.