Germanium is the 32nd element in the periodic table. Discovered by Clemens Winkler in 1886, it is a greyish white metalloid when in pure form. It is a very brittle crystalline metal, and retains it's luster in air. A cool fact about germanium: it and it's oxide are transparent to infrared lights.Winkler, upon first discovering germanium, originally named it 'neptunium', as the planet Neptune had also recently been discovered. At first, the use for germanium was low before it's semiconductor properties were found after World War II. Germanium production went from a few hundred kilograms per year to a hundred metric tonnes a year.
Where is it found?
Germanium is made by separating metals, creating volatile germanium which is then hydrolyzed to create GeO2. The dioxide is then reduced with hydrogen, which finalizes the element. More refined techniques allow for ultra-pure germanium to be made. In nature, germanium can be found in argyrodite, germanite, coal, zinc, and other minerals.What is it used for?
Germanium is a very important semiconductor material. It is usually mixed with arsenic or gallium at a certain level and then used in electronics. Germanium is also an alloying agent, catalyst, and phosphor for fluorescent lamps.
Germanium, since it is hard to break, has led it to be used in many microscope and camera lenses. Organic germanium have very low toxicity to mammals, but are lethal to many bacteria, giving it highly potential medical importance.
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