Germanium, properties

Heath J R, Shiang J J and Alivisatos A P 1994 Germanium quantum dots optical properties and synthesis J. Chem. Phys. 101 1607... 

One of the early triumphs of the Mendeleef Periodic Table was the prediction of the properties of elements which were then unknown. Fifteen years before the discovery of germanium in 1886, Mendeleef had predicted that the element which he called ekasilicon would be discovered, and he had also correctly predicted many of its properties. In Table 1.8 his predicted properties are compared with the corresponding properties actually found for germanium. 

A century ago, Mendeltef used his new periodic table to predict the properties of ekasilicon , later identified as germanium. Some of the predicted properties were metallic character and high m.p. for the element formation of an oxide MOj and of a volatile chloride MCI4. 

The oxidation state -1-4 is predominantly covalent and the stability of compounds with this oxidation state generally decreases with increasing atomic size (Figure 8.1). It is the most stable oxidation state for silicon, germanium and tin, but for lead the oxidation state +4 is found to be less stable than oxidation state +2 and hence lead(IV) compounds have oxidising properties (for example, see p. 194). 

All Group IV elements form tetrachlorides, MX4, which are predominantly tetrahedral and covalent. Germanium, tin and lead also form dichlorides, these becoming increasingly ionic in character as the atomic weight of the Group IV element increases and the element becomes more metallic. Carbon and silicon form catenated halides which have properties similar to their tetrahalides. 

Compare and contrast the chemistry of silicon, germanium, tin and lead by referring to the properties and bond types of their oxides and chlorides. 

Mujica A and R J Needs 1993. First-principles Calculations of the Structural Properties, Stability, aind Band Structure of Complex Tetrahedral Phases of Germanium ST12 and BC8. Physical Review B48 17010-17017. 

The high index of refraction and dispersion properties of its oxide s have made germanium useful as a component of wide-angle camera lenses and microscope objectives. 

Gallium [7440-55-3] atomic number 31, was discovered through a study of its spectral properties in 1875 by P. E. Lecoq de Boisbaudran and named from Gallia in honor of its discoverer s homeland. The first element to be discovered after the pubHcation of Mendeleev s Periodic Table, its discovery constituted a confirmation of the Table which was reinforced shordy after by the discoveries of scandium and germanium. 

The physical, thermal, and electronic properties of germanium metal are shown in Table 1. Optical properties are given in Table 2. 

Physical Properties. Raman spectroscopy is an excellent tool for investigating stress and strain in many different materials (see Materlals reliability). Lattice strain distribution measurements in siUcon are a classic case. More recent examples of this include the characterization of thin films (56), and measurements of stress and relaxation in silicon—germanium layers (57). 

The short-range order in a material is important in determining optoelectronic properties. For instance, x-ray and electron diffraction experiments performed on amorphous siHcon (i -Si) and germanium (a-Ge) have revealed that the nearest neighbor environments are approximately the same as those found in their crystalline counterparts (6) photoemission experiments performed on i -Si show that the DOS in valence and conduction bands are virtually identical to the corresponding crystal with the exception that the singularities (associated with periodicity) present in the latter are smeared out in the former. 

B. Arkles, Silicon, Germanium, Tin, andEead Compounds A. Survey of Properties and Chemisty, Gelest Inc., TuUytown, Pa., 1995. 

The technology of silicon and germanium production has developed rapidly, and knowledge of die self-diffusion properties of diese elements, and of impurity atoms has become reasonably accurate despite die experimental difficulties associated widi die measurements. These arise from die chemical affinity of diese elements for oxygen, and from die low values of die diffusion coefficients. 

The metlrod of zone refining which was first used in the production of very pure germanium depends for its success on the difference between the thermodynamic properties of an impurity, present as a dilute constiment dissolved in... 

---