What is germanium metal?
Germanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ge, atomic number 32, atomic weight 72.64, and is located in the 4th period and group IVA in the periodic table of chemical elements. Germanium is a grayish-white semimetal, shiny, hard, and belongs to the carbon family. Its chemical properties are similar to those of tin and silicon in the same family. It is insoluble in water, hydrochloric acid, and dilute caustic soda solutions, but soluble in aqua regia, concentrated nitric acid, or sulfuric acid. It is amphoteric, so it is soluble in molten alkali, peroxide, alkali metal nitrates, or carbonates, and is relatively stable in the air.
The atomic structure of germanium includes 32 protons and electrons, as well as a corresponding number of neutrons. In chemical reactions, germanium atoms usually exist in a tetravalent state, that is, they share or lose four electrons to form Ge4+ ions.
Is germanium more like a metal or nonmetal？
The physical properties of germanium are as follows:
- It is a silver-grey, metallic, and solid material.
- It needs to be heated to 937.4°C to melt and 2830°C to boil.
- It is 5.35 times heavier than water, weighing 5.35 grams per cubic centimeter.
- It is softer than ordinary metals, but not easily scratched.
- It is a brittle material that is easily corroded by alkali metals and alkaline earth metals.
- Its crystal structure is the same as diamond, consisting of tetrahedral units stacked together.
- Its resistivity at 20°C is 1 ohm·m, which means that in a germanium material of 1 meter long and 1 square meter cross-sectional area, the current must overcome a resistance of 1 ohm to pass through.
- Its thermal conductivity at 20°C is 60.2 Watt·meter⁻¹·Kelvin⁻¹, that is to say, in a germanium material with a length of 1 meter and a cross-sectional area of 1 square meter, if the temperature difference between the two ends is 1 Kelvin (equivalent to 1 degree Celsius), then 60.2 watts of heat will be transferred from the high-temperature end to the low-temperature end every second.
The chemical properties of germanium are as follows:
- It can combine with oxygen to form oxides of different proportions, such as GeO, GeO₂, Ge₂O₃, Ge₃O₄, etc., among which the most common is germanium dioxide GeO₂.
- It has different degrees of attraction to electrons and can share or transfer electrons with other elements to form different types of compounds. It can form simple compounds with elements such as hydrogen, fluorine, chlorine, bromine, and iodine (such as GeH₄, GeF₄, GeCl₄, GeBr₄, GeI₄, etc.), and can also form binary compounds with elements such as sulfur, selenium, and tellurium (such as GeS₂, GeSe₂, GeTe₂, etc.), and can also form multi-component compounds with other metal or non-metal elements (such as GaAs, InP, SiC, etc.).
- Its attraction to electrons is expressed by a number called electronegativity. Measured by the Pauling scale, the electronegativity of germanium is 2.01, which is larger than silicon (1.90) and smaller than carbon (2.55).
- It takes 762 kilojoules/mole (kJ/mol) of energy to lose one electron, which is called the first ionization energy. It takes 1537.5 kJ/mol of energy to lose the second electron, which is called the second ionization energy. It takes 3302.1 kJ/mol of energy to lose the third electron, which is the third ionization energy. And so on.
- It does not react chemically with air or water vapor at room temperature, but if heated to 600-700℃, it will quickly combine with oxygen in the air to form germanium dioxide.
- It can form alloys with many metals, that is, it can be mixed with metal atoms to form new metal materials. It can also form organometallic compounds with many non-metallic elements, that is, it can be combined with molecules containing carbon to form new organic materials.
Semi-metallic properties of germanium
Because of these special properties of germanium, it is often classified as a semi-metallic element. Semi-metallic elements are located in the transition zone between metals and non-metals, and have the common properties of metals and non-metals. Germanium is such an element. It has some properties of metals, such as metallic luster and conductivity, and also exhibits some properties of non-metals, such as low conductivity and easy formation of compounds.
How to buy germanium metal？
When buying germanium metal, you need to pay attention to the following points:
Quality: The quality of germanium metal has an important impact on its performance and application effect. When purchasing, you must pay attention to key indicators such as its purity and impurity content to ensure that you buy products that meet your needs.
Price: The price of germanium metal varies depending on factors such as purity, specifications, market supply and demand, etc. When purchasing, don’t just focus on the price, but consider the quality of the product and your own needs. At the same time, you should also pay attention to prevent some unscrupulous merchants from using low prices to attract customers for fraud.
Legality: Germanium is a regulated element, and its purchase and use must comply with relevant laws and regulations. When purchasing, be sure to choose a legal and compliant channel, and keep the relevant purchase receipts and certification documents so that you can provide a legal basis for future use or transportation.
Transportation: Germanium metal belongs to the category of dangerous goods, and its transportation needs to comply with specific regulations and requirements. When purchasing, pay attention to choosing a supplier who can provide legal transportation services.
VIMATERIAL is a professional supplier of high-purity germanium metal. The purity of our products can reach 7N5. If you have any needs in this regard, please do not hesitate to contact us.
What's the application of germanium metal?
Optics
Germanium metal has a high refractive index and low dispersion, which means that it can bend light very strongly without letting different colors of light disperse. This makes it suitable for making optical components such as infrared lenses, prisms, windows, etc., which can be used to observe or detect infrared light.
Electronics industry
Germanium metal is an important semiconductor material that can be used to make electronic devices such as transistors, diodes, solar cells, photodetectors, etc. Transistor is a switch that can control the current, which is the basic component of electronic computers. Diode is a device that only allows current to pass in one direction, which can be used for rectification, detection, modulation, etc. Solar cell is a device that can convert sunlight into electrical energy, which can be used to generate electricity or charge. Photodetector is a device that can convert optical signals into electrical signals, which can be used to receive or send optical signals.
Other applications
Germanium metal can also be used as a catalyst for polymerization reactions, that is, it can promote the process of combining some small molecules into large molecules, thereby preparing polymer materials, such as plastics, rubber, etc. Germanium metal can also be alloyed with other metals to improve their mechanical properties and corrosion resistance, such as germanium steel, germanium aluminum, etc. Germanium can also be used as a bioactive agent, that is, it can have some beneficial effects on the human body, such as enhancing human immunity, anti-aging, anti-cancer, etc.
Gallium and germanium are two important semiconductor materials that play different roles in chip manufacturing.
Germanium is the first element used to manufacture semiconductor transistors and chips. It has a higher carrier mobility than silicon, that is, it can achieve faster switching speeds at lower voltages. Germanium can also form alloys with silicon to improve the performance of silicon. Germanium can also form compounds with other elements (such as arsenic, phosphorus, antimony, etc.) to manufacture high-speed, high-frequency, and high-power devices.
Gallium is also a commonly used semiconductor material. It can form compounds with other elements (such as arsenic, nitrogen, indium, aluminum, etc.) to manufacture light-emitting diodes (LEDs), laser diodes (LDs), solar cells, microwave communication devices, etc. Gallium compounds have high electron mobility and radiation efficiency, and are suitable for use in optoelectronics and microwave fields.
Therefore, gallium and germanium play an important role in semiconductor production. They can provide diversified and high-performance semiconductor products to meet the needs of different fields.
