Germanium selenide. [19] Germanium did not become economically significant until after 1945 when its properties as an electronic semiconductor were recognized. Others include gallium, silicon, bismuth and antimony. Germanium is a chemical element. 3. 0.6 [78] The high brilliance of this polyester is especially favored for PET bottles marketed in Japan. [88], U.S. Food and Drug Administration research has concluded that inorganic germanium, when used as a nutritional supplement, "presents potential human health hazard". Identifiers CAS Number. Substance identity Substance identity. Source: Radioisotopes and Radiation Methodology I, II. Other names for Germanium include: Germanium Sesquioxide, Germanium Lactate Citrate, and Sanumgerman. From Wikipedia. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... 36 Questions from Britannica’s Most Popular Science Quizzes. Of these, 76Ge is very slightly radioactive, decaying by double beta decay with a half-life of 1.78×1021 years. Soo Hyun Byun, Lecture Notes. It was discovered by Clemens Winkler. Similar to silicon and aluminium, naturally-occurring germanium compounds tend to be insoluble in water and thus have little oral toxicity. [79], In recent years germanium has seen increasing use in precious metal alloys. [85], Germanium is not considered essential to the health of plants or animals. making it one of the purest materials ever obtained. Today, germanium is mined primarily from sphalerite (the primary ore of zinc), though germanium is also recovered commercially from silver, lead, and copper ores. Mol. [35] Additionally Ge2Cl6 and some higher compounds of formula GenCl2n+2 are known. [74] The Mars Exploration Rovers and several satellites use triple junction gallium arsenide on germanium cells. [26] For example, the company that became Fairchild Semiconductor was founded in 1957 with the express purpose of producing silicon transistors. [26], Semiconductor detectors made of single crystal high-purity germanium can precisely identify radiation sources—for example in airport security. Polygermanes—compounds that are similar to alkanes—with formula GenH2n+2 containing up to five germanium atoms are known. The most stable of these is 68Ge, decaying by electron capture with a half-life of 270.95 days. Elemental germanium starts to oxidize slowly in air at around 250 °C, forming GeO2 . [69] At the end of 2002, the fiber optics industry consumed 60% of the annual germanium use in the United States, but this is less than 10% of worldwide consumption. [78] In the United States, germanium is not used for polymerization catalysts. [49] Because of this, it is used in combination with radon for nuclear batteries. Comprehensive data on the chemical element Germanium is provided on this page; including scores of properties, element names in many languages, most known nuclides of Germanium. Identified uses: For industry use only. This is one of the primary reasons for the failure of old germanium diodes and transistors. OXY-Germanium 10 g (10,000 mg) He suggested therefore the name ekasilicon (symbol Es). [30] The dioxide (and the related oxides and germanates) exhibits the unusual property of having a high refractive index for visible light, but transparency to infrared light. Identifiers CAS Number. It also forms as a passivation layer on pure germanium in contact with atmospheric oxygen. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Germanium selenide is a chemical compound with the formula GeSe. Germanates, formed by heating the dioxide with basic oxides, include zinc germanate (Zn2GeO4), used as a phosphor (a substance that emits light when energized by radiation). [23], The development of the germanium transistor in 1948[24] opened the door to countless applications of solid state electronics. − After neutralization, only the zinc stays in solution while germanium and other metals precipitate. 19.7 Silicon has superior electrical properties, but it requires much greater purity that could not be commercially achieved in the early years of semiconductor electronics. Other names germanium(II) selenide. Germanium disulfide refers to the chemical compound with the formula Ge S 2.It is a colourless white crystalline material, which melts at roughly 800 °C. [61] A recent study found that at least 10,000 t of extractable germanium is contained in known zinc reserves, particularly those hosted by Mississippi-Valley type deposits, while at least 112,000 t will be found in coal reserves. [35] The germanium hydrohalides with one, two and three halogen atoms are colorless reactive liquids. Germanium oxide has a high index of refraction and dispersion. [40], Binary compounds with other chalcogens are also known, such as the disulfide (GeS2), diselenide (GeSe2), and the monosulfide (GeS), selenide (GeSe), and telluride (GeTe). [30] The monoxide, germanous oxide, can be obtained by the high temperature reaction of GeO2 with Ge metal. The electrical and semiconducting characteristics of germanium are comparable to those of silicon. [65] Russia's deposits are located in the far east of Sakhalin Island, and northeast of Vladivostok. Corrections? [55][56][57] Some zinc-copper-lead ore bodies contain enough germanium to justify extraction from the final ore concentrate. Finally, single crystals are generated from the melt at carefully controlled temperatures, using a seed crystal as a nucleus. This page was last changed on 5 May 2020, at 04:13. Germanium dioxide, also called germanium oxide, germania, and salt of germanium, is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula GeO2. Each entry has a full citation identifying its source. [81] Crystals of high purity germanium are used in detectors for gamma spectroscopy and the search for dark matter. The s-process is a slow neutron capture of lighter elements inside pulsating red giant stars. The element is brittle rather than ductile; the atoms in its crystals are arranged as are the carbon atoms in diamond. Ask your doctor, nurse, or pharmacist if you need more information about this medicine or if any information in this leaflet concerns you. Pure germanium is a semiconductor with an appearance similar to elemental silicon. [26], Solar panels are a major use of germanium. Other early research suggests that taking propagermanium, another form of germanium, by mouth for 1-7 months might benefit people with multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer. The toxicology of germanium and its compounds is poorly defined. Winkler named the element after his country, Germany. [22] Before 1945, only a few hundred kilograms of germanium were produced in smelters each year, but by the end of the 1950s, the annual worldwide production had reached 40 metric tons (44 short tons). It exists as black crystalline powder having orthorhombic (distorted NaCl-type) crystal symmetry; at temperatures ~650 °C, it transforms into the cubic NaCl structure. [49], At least 27 radioisotopes have also been synthesized, ranging in atomic mass from 58 to 89. (C), silicon (Si), germanium (Ge), tin (Sn), lead (Pb), and flerovium (Fl).…, such as silicon or germanium are used as X-ray detectors in the range from 1,000 electron volts (1 keV) to more than 1 MeV. [66] It is used in infrared spectroscopes and other optical equipment that require extremely sensitive infrared detectors. Germanium forms stable oxidation states of +2 and +4, the compounds of the latter being more stable and numerous. However, synthetic soluble germanium salts are nephrotoxic, and synthetic chemically reactive germanium compounds with halogens and hydrogen are irritants and toxins. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Name you are searching has less than five occurrences per year in recent years germanium has been reported recently of... Nai ( Tl ) and must be coated with anti-reflection agents [ 59 the. Contains 1.2 % germanium increasing use in the +2 oxidation state are well characterized as solids, and.... 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