Compare Carbon vs Germanium
Comparing Carbon (C) and Germanium (Ge). Atomic numbers 6 and 32 with atomic masses 12.01 u and 72.631 u, classified as nonmetal and metalloid. Below: a side-by-side comparison of their physical, atomic, electron-configuration and historical properties, including density, melting and boiling points, ionization energies, oxidation states and discovery history.
Periodic properties of the elements
| Carbon | Germanium | |
|---|---|---|
| Symbol | C | Ge |
| Atomic number | 6 | 32 |
| Group | 14 | 14 |
| Period | 2 | 4 |
| Block | p | p |
| Element category | Nonmetal | Metalloid |
Physical properties
| Carbon | Germanium | |
|---|---|---|
| Phase at STP | Solid | Solid |
| Density | 1.821 g/cm3 | 5.323 g/cm3 |
| Atomic weight | 12.0096 u | 72.6308 u |
| Melting point | - | 1211.4 K 938.25 °C 1720.85 °F |
| Boiling point | - | 3106 K 2832.85 °C 5131.13 °F |
Atomic properties
| Carbon | Germanium | |
|---|---|---|
| Electronegativity (Pauling Scale) | 2.55 | 2.01 |
| Electron affinity | 121.776 kJ/mol | 118.935 kJ/mol |
| Oxidation states | −4, −3, −2, −1, 0, +1, +2, +3, +4 (a mildly acidic oxide) | −4 −3, −2, −1, 0, +1, +2, +3, +4 (an amphoteric oxide) |
| Ionization energies |
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Electron configuration
| Carbon | Germanium | |
|---|---|---|
| Shorthand configuration | [He] 2s2 2p2 | [Ar] 3d10 4s2 4p2 |
| Full configuration | 1s2 2s2 2p2 | 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d10 4s2 4p2 |
| Electrons per shell | 2, 4 | 2, 8, 18, 4 |
History
| Carbon | Germanium | |
|---|---|---|
| Prediction | Dmitri Mendeleev (1869) | |
| Discovery | Egyptians and Sumerians (3750 BC) | Clemens Winkler (1886) |
| First isolation | Clemens Winkler (1886) |