Germanium

Description

A naturally occurring metallic element that was isolated and identified in 1886 by Clemens Winkler in Germany. Germanium is a dull, silvery gray solid that constitutes approximately 0.007% of the earth's crust. Germanium occurs in very small amounts in many types of sulfide ores, such as germanite, lepidolite, sphalerite, and spodumene. Germanium is primarily used in solid-state electronic devices and in the production of infrared transmitting glass.

Synonyms and Related Terms

Ge; germanio (It., Esp.); Germânio (Port.)

Risks

• Fisher Scientific: MSDS

Physical and Chemical Properties

Soluble in aqua regia, concentrated nitric and sulfuric acids. Insoluble in water, hydrochloric acid and dilute alkalis. Stable in air.

Composition	Ge (atomic no. 32)
CAS	7440-56-4
Melting Point	937.2 C
Density	5.323 g/ml
Molecular Weight	atomic wt = 72.59
Boiling Point	2830 C

Resources and Citations

• Web Elements: Website

• Richard S. Lewis, Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 10th ed., 1993

• Van Nostrand's Scientific Encyclopedia, Douglas M. Considine (ed.), Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 1976

• The Merck Index, Martha Windholz (ed.), Merck Research Labs, Rahway NJ, 10th edition, 1983 Comment: entry 4415