Germanium

Germanium, a metallic element discovered in 1885 by Dr Winkler in a silver ore (argyrodite); symbol, Ge; atomic weight, 72.3. It has a melting-point about 1650° F. (900° C.); is oxidised when heated in air; crystallises in octahedra; has a perfectly metallic lustre, and is of a grayish-white colour. As gallium had been named from France, the new metal was named after Germany. Fifteen years before its discovery its existence was prophesied by Mendeleëff as required to fill the gap in the periodic table between silicon and tin. See ATOMIC THEORY.