Periodic Table/Germanium

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32Ge72.6300 Da

Germanium

Metalloid·Period 4, Group 14·p-block

Lustrous hard metalloid element, belongs to group 14 of the periodic table. Forms a large number of organometallic compounds. Predicted by Mendeleev in 1871, it was actually found in 1886 by Winkler.

Gallery

12 Grams Polycrystalline Germanium, 2*3 cm

Jurii, CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons, source: https://images-of-elements.com/germanium.php

Physical Propertiesmass · density · phase · crystal

Atomic Mass

72.6300Da

Density

5.3234g/cm³

Phase (STP)

Solid

Melting Point

1211.4K

Boiling Point

3106.2K

Molar Heat

0.3200J/(mol·K)

Crystal Structure

DIA

Lattice Constant

5.660Å

Atomic Radiiatomic · covalent · van der Waals

Atomic (Empirical)

125.00pm

Covalent

121.00pm

Van der Waals

211.00pm

Electronic Propertieselectronegativity · ionization · affinity

Electron Configuration

[Ar] 3d10 4s2 4p2

Electron Shells

2, 8, 18, 4

Electronegativity

2.01Pauling

Electron Affinity

1.2kJ/mol

1st Ionization Energy

7.9kJ/mol

Oxidation States

-4, +1, +2, +3, +4

Orbital DiagramAufbau · Hund's rule · Pauli exclusion

↑↓

1s²

↑↓

2s²

↑↓

2p⁶

↑↓

3s²

↑↓

3p⁶

↑↓

3d¹⁰

↑↓

4s²

↑

4p²

Full: 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d10 4s2 4p2Short: [Ar] 3d10 4s2 4p2

Ionization Energies (32 known)

Emission Spectrumvisible range · characteristic spectral lines

423

469

475

Ge emission

380nm750nm

468.6 nm(100%)422.7 nm(60%)475.0 nm(30%)

Abundanceby mass

🌍Earth's Crust

1.5 ppm

🌊Ocean

50.0 ppt

✨Universe

200.0 ppb

🧬Human Body—

Log scale · ppm = parts per million by mass

Biological Role

No biological role

No confirmed biological role. Some dietary supplements claim health benefits (unproven).

Discovery

Discovered By

Clemens Winkler

Named By

—

Year

1886

Nuclear Data

Known Isotopes

Stable Isotopes

Stable Mass Numbers

58, 70, 72, 73, 74

Natural isotopic abundance (IUPAC recommended values)

Isotopes of Ge33 known

Nuclide	Z	N	Mass (AMU)	Half-life	Decay	Jπ	Abundance
⁵⁸Gestable	32	26	57.991863	Stable	2p	0+	—
⁵⁹Ge	32	27	58.982426	13.3 ms	β⁺ (1%), β⁺p (0.93%), 2p (0.002%)	7/2-	—
⁶⁰Ge	32	28	59.970445	21.0 ms	β⁺ (1%), β⁺p (1%), 2p (0.14%)	0+	—
⁷⁰Gestable	32	38	69.924249	Stable	stable (1%)	0+	2052.0000%
⁷²Gestable	32	40	71.922076	Stable	stable (1%)	0+	2745.0000%
⁷³Gestable	32	41	72.923459	Stable	stable (1%)	9/2+	776.0000%
⁷⁴Gestable	32	42	73.921178	Stable	stable (1%)	0+	3652.0000%
⁷⁶Ge	32	44	75.921403	1880000000000 Gy	2β⁻ (1%)	0+	775.0000%
⁸⁸Ge	32	56	87.957574	61.0 ms	β⁻ (1%), β⁻n, 2n	0+	—
⁸⁹Ge	32	57	88.964530	Unknown	β⁻, β⁻n, 2n	3/2+	—
⁹⁰Ge	32	58	89.969436	Unknown	β⁻, β⁻n, 2n	0+	—

Click any isotope for its full page with decay chain:

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