Germanium (thing)

(From the Latin Germania, "Germany") A grayish-white, brittle, crystalline, nonmetallic chemical element of the carbon family, found in composite ores, especially with silver and zinc. Ultrapure germanium is used as a semiconductor, and as its properties are markedly changed by doping with arsenic or gallium, its main use is in the manufacture of transistors. Both germanium and germanium oxide are transparent to infrared radiation and so are used in infrared spectroscopes.

Symbol: Ge
Atomic number: 32
Atomic weight: 72.61
Density (at room temperature and pressure): 5.323 g/cc
Melting point: 937.4°C
Boiling point: 2,830°C
Valence: +2, +4
Ground state electron configuration: [Ar]3d¹⁰4s²4p²