Admin Is germanium used in everyday life?
Germanium is used in the manufacture of wide-angle camera lenses. The element gives special properties to the glass. Because germanium has traits that are similar to silicon and tin, the semiconductor industry uses germanium on a regular basis.
Where is germanium commonly found?
Germanium is primarily mined with zinc ore as well as with argyrodite, germanite, and coal according to the Los Alamos National Laboratory. According to Chemistry Explained, germanium is mined in Alaska, Tennessee, China, the United Kingdom, Ukraine, Russia and Belgium.
How is germanium used in electronics?
The largest use of germanium is in the semiconductor industry. When doped with small amounts of arsenic, gallium, indium, antimony or phosphorus, germanium is used to make transistors for use in electronic devices. Germanium is also used to create alloys and as a phosphor in fluorescent lamps.
Is germanium more expensive than Silicon?
With the research open to the public, commercial entities discovered that Silicon worked very well in consumer items such as portable transistor radios. Thus Silicon, which is more abundant and less expensive than Germanium became the standard material and is still being used today and for the foreseable future.
What property of germanium made it useful in electronics?
It has a diamondlike crystalline structure and it is similar in chemical and physical properties to silicon. Germanium is stable in air and water, and is unaffected by alkalis and acids, except nitric acid. Germanium is an important semiconductor, mainly used in transistors and integrated circuits.
What are the most common uses of germanium?
Germanium is a chemical element. People use it as medicine. Despite serious safety concerns, germanium is used for heart and blood vessel conditions, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and heart disease; for eye conditions, including glaucoma and cataracts; and for liver conditions, including hepatitis and cirrhosis.
What do we use germanium for in everyday life?
Germanium is used as a semiconductor material.
What does germanium do to the body?
Germanium has been associated with a variety of side effects, some of which are very serious. Germanium can break down your kidney tissue, causing kidney damage. In some cases, germanium can even cause chronic kidney failure and death. Due to these risks, most doctors recommend avoiding supplements that contain it.
How does germanium effect the environment?
Environmental effects of Germanium Physical dangers: The gas is heavier than air and may travel along the ground; distant ignition possible. As a heavy metal it is considered to have some negative impact in aquatic ecosystems.