Germanium

32
Ge
72.61

germanium.gif (19557 bytes)
Germanium is used in fiber optics.

Properties
Symbol Name Atomic Number Atomic Weight Group Number
Ge Germanium 32 72.61 14

Description

Standard State: solid at 298 K
Color: Grayish White

Winkler discovered Germanium in 1886.  Germanium is usually obtained from flue dusts of smelters procession zinc ores. It is also obtained from from the by-products of combustion of certain coals. It is a very important semiconductor material.  When Germanium is mixed with arsenic, gallium, and other elements, they are very important in transistors for electronic equipment.  Germanium oxide's high index of refraction and dispersion has made it useful as a component of glasses used in wide-camera lenses.