Ge
Germanium
Atomic number: 32Mass: 72.63 uCategory: Metalloid
About Germanium
Germanium is a lustrous, hard-brittle, grey-white metalloid in the carbon group. Mendeleev predicted its existence years before its discovery, calling it 'ekasilicon'. It was the first material used in transistors.
Properties
Period
4
Group
14
Block
P
Category
Metalloid
Electronegativity
2.01 (Pauling)
Ionization Energy
762 kJ/mol
Melting Point
1211 K (938°C)
Boiling Point
3106 K (2833°C)
Density
5.323 g/cm³
Oxidation States
-4, +2, +4
Electron Configuration
1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 3d¹⁰ 4s² 4p²
[Ar] 3d¹⁰ 4s² 4p²
Shell 1:2e⁻
Shell 2:8e⁻
Shell 3:18e⁻
Shell 4:4e⁻
Real-World Uses
Transistors
Fibre optic cables
Infrared optics
Solar cells
Semiconductors
Fun Fact
Germanium was predicted by Mendeleev 15 years before it was discovered — and its properties matched his predictions almost perfectly!