News: India has formally raised concerns with China regarding export restrictions on germanium, a critical mineral essential for manufacturing semiconductors, fiber optic cables, and solar panels. Germanium (Ge)
About Germanium (Ge)
- Germanium (Ge) is a chemical element classified as a metalloid and appears as a silvery-grey, brittle solid.
- This element lies between silicon and tin in Group 14 (IVa) of the periodic table.
- It has the chemical symbol Ge and the atomic number 32.
- Germanium was discovered in 1886 by German chemist Clemens but was predicted earlier in 1871 by Russian chemist Dmitry Mendeleyev, who named the unknown element “ekasilicon.”
Key Properties
- Germanium exhibits properties that are intermediate between those of metals and nonmetals.
- It has a melting point of approximately 1,100°C (2,000°F) and a diamond-like crystal structure. The element is brittle rather than ductile.
- It remains stable in air at room temperature but oxidises at temperatures between 600°C and 700°C.
- Germanium reacts readily with halogens to form tetrahalides and is attacked by concentrated nitric acid, sulfuric acid, and aqua regia.
- They dissolve rapidly in molten sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide to form germanates.
- Germanium is a relatively scarce element, with an abundance of about 1.5 parts per million in the Earth’s crust.
- It is found in several rare minerals, including argyrodite (from which it was first isolated), germanite, renierite, and canfieldite. Among these, only germanite and renierite are used commercially.
- Trace amounts of germanium are found in zinc ores, sulfidic copper and arsenic ores, and in coal, likely due to accumulation by Carboniferous-period plants.
- Some modern plants also concentrate germanium. Commercially, germanium is extracted from zinc-processing by-products and from the ash and flue dust of coal-burning facilities.
- Major Producers: China is the leading global producer of germanium, accounting for approximately 60% of total output. The rest of the production is primarily contributed by countries such as Canada, Finland, Russia, and the United States.
- India is 100% dependent on germanium import.
- Use in Electronics and Semiconductors:
- It is essential in the manufacture of transistors, rectifiers, and photocells.
- Beyond electronics, germanium is used in alloys and as a phosphor in fluorescent lamps.
- Its transparency to infrared radiation makes it suitable for windows and lenses in infrared detection equipment.
- Due to its high refractive index, germanium dioxide is used in the manufacture of wide-angle camera lenses and microscope objectives.
