Germanium is a(n)?

Question

Germanium is a(n)

alkali metal.

halogen.

noble gas.

metalloid.

Answer 1

You all answered that question real good. Can you even tell me what a metalloid is? If all you are doing is giving a person answers for a test, you are not truly contributing.

They have properties intermediate between those of metals and nonmetals. There is no unique way of distinguishing a metalloid from a true metal but the most common is that metalloids are usually semiconductors rather than conductors.

So a metalloid has some of the properties of a metal. They tend to have a metallic luster when polished, and their heat conduction may be pretty good. Their electrical conductivity, however, is usually much poorer than a true metal. From this you might conclude that the outer electrons of a semiconductor are bound more tightly to a nucleus than in a metal, where the outer electrons pass easily from one nucleus to another. Thus small amounts of impurities can be added to a semiconductor to significantly modify its electrical conductivity, which is what make transistors and integrated circuits possible. Metalloids are found on the Periodic Table at the boundary between metals and non-metals.

In addition to silicon, germanium, and arsenic are two other semiconductors. Germanium was used in early transisters. Gallium, a true metal, can be combined with arsenic to form gallium arsenide, a semiconductor which promises to be used more in the future as device speeds are increased.

Thanks for asking!

Answer 2

Germanium is a chemical element in the periodic table that has the symbol Ge and atomic number 32. This is a lustrous, hard, silver-white metalloid that is chemically similar to tin. Germanium forms a large number of organometallic compounds and is an important semiconductor material used in transistors.

Answer 3

metalloid

Answer 4

metalloid!