Germanium Research Paper

Atoms are the simplest form of matter. On Earth matter can be a solid, liquid, or a gas. The atoms that create the states of matter also create elements. Currently, there are organized on a chart known as the periodic table, one such element is Germanium. In fact, Germanium has a symbol known as Ge. A symbol is a shorter way to represent the element. All elements have a symbol, atomic mass, atomic number, and a number of protons, neutrons, and electrons. Germanium’s atomic mass is 72.64, this is the amount of mass in each atom that’s in Germanium. The atomic number for Germanium is 32, which represents where the element is placed on the periodic table and the amount of protons/electrons in each atom that’s in the element. The amount of protons in each atom is the same amount of electrons in each atom. Protons are the positive charges and electrons are the negative charges. Germanium has 32 protons in each atom and 32 electrons in each atom. Neutrons have no charge. You can find the amount of neutrons in each atom by subtracting the atomic number from the atomic mass. Germanium has 41 neutrons because you would have to round up …show more content…
one of the compounds Germanium is in is Germanium hydride. Compounds don’t have symbols but they have formulas. Germanium hydride’s formula is GeH4. The 4 represents the subscript. A subscript is how many parts it is, so Germanium hydride is 4 parts hydrogen and 1 part Germanium. The uses for germanium are camera lenses, semiconductors, fluorescent lamps, and alloys. Germanium has a total of twenty five isotopes and only five are stable. Germanium’s compounds can cause pain and redness to eyes and skin. The gas form of germanium is heavier then air and may travel along the ground distant ignition possible. As a heavy metalloid it is considered to have some negative impacts in aquatic ecosystems. Aquatic ecosystems are ecosystems in bodies of