21 Facts About Germanium

Germanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ge and atomic number 32.

Germanium compounds are used for polymerization catalysts and have most recently found use in the production of nanowires.

Germanium is not thought to be an essential element for any living organism.

Germanium initially considered the new element to be eka-antimony, but was convinced that it was instead eka-silicon.

Germanium did not become economically significant until after 1945 when its properties as an electronic semiconductor were recognized.

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Germanium is insoluble in dilute acids and alkalis but dissolves slowly in hot concentrated sulfuric and nitric acids and reacts violently with molten alkalis to produce germanates.

Germanium occurs mostly in the oxidation state +4 although many +2 compounds are known.

Germanium is created by stellar nucleosynthesis, mostly by the s-process in asymptotic giant branch stars.

Germanium has been detected in some of the most distant stars and in the atmosphere of Jupiter.

Germanium is recovered as a by-product from sphalerite zinc ores where it is concentrated in amounts as great as 0.

Germanium tetrachloride is either hydrolyzed to the oxide or purified by fractional distillation and then hydrolyzed.

Germanium is transparent in the infrared wavelengths, it is an important infrared optical material that can be readily cut and polished into lenses and windows.

Germanium can be alloyed with silicon, and silicon-germanium alloys are rapidly becoming an important semiconductor material for high-speed integrated circuits.

Germanium is the substrate of the wafers for high-efficiency multijunction photovoltaic cells for space applications, such as the Mars Exploration Rovers, which use triple-junction gallium arsenide on germanium cells.

Germanium transistors are still used in some effects pedals by musicians who wish to reproduce the distinctive tonal character of the "fuzz"-tone from the early rock and roll era, most notably the Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face.

Germanium dioxide is used in catalysts for polymerization in the production of polyethylene terephthalate.

Germanium is useful for monochromators for beamlines used in single crystal neutron scattering and synchrotron X-ray diffraction.

Germanium crystals are used in X-ray spectrometers for the determination of phosphorus, chlorine and sulfur.

Germanium is emerging as an important material for spintronics and spin-based quantum computing applications.

Germanium is not considered essential to the health of plants or animals.

Germanium supplements, made from both organic and inorganic germanium, have been marketed as an alternative medicine capable of treating leukemia and lung cancer.