Germanium is element number 32, with the symbol Ge. It is the “eka-silicon” that Mendeleev predicted, and it was named after the old name for Germany.
Atomic number 3272.63
GeGermaniumゲルマニウム (gerumaniumu)
Symbol
Ge
Atomic weight
72.63
Place in the table
Period 4 · Group 14
Atomic weight from the Chemical Society of Japan, “Table of Standard Atomic Weights with Four Significant Figures (2026)”.
Named for Germany
The German chemist Winkler found a new element in a silver ore and named it germanium. The symbol Ge comes from Germania, the old Latin name for Germany.
The predicted “eka-silicon”
On the periodic table, germanium sits in Group 14, directly below silicon. Mendeleev called the element for this gap “eka-silicon” and predicted it before it was found.
After scandium and gallium, the discovery of germanium brought international recognition of the value of the periodic table.
Think about it
Q1What do you think “eka” means? Think about the three predicted names.
Q2How do you think other chemists felt when all three predictions came true?
Q3Why do you think silicon and germanium share a column?
There is no single right answer. Talking it over with someone at home is a good way to learn.
Did you know? — Mendeleev also predicted an “eka-manganese.” It later became element 43, technetium, which was made artificially.