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Compare Silicon vs Germanium

Comparing Silicon (Si) and Germanium (Ge). Atomic numbers 14 and 32 with atomic masses 28.084 u and 72.631 u, classified as metalloid 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.

vs
Si
Silicon
#14
Ge
Germanium
#32

Periodic properties of the elements

SiliconGermanium
SymbolSiGe
Atomic number1432
Group1414
Period34
Blockpp
Element categoryMetalloidMetalloid

Physical properties

SiliconGermanium
Phase at STPSolidSolid
Density2.329 g/cm35.323 g/cm3
Atomic weight28.084 u72.6308 u
Melting point1687 K
1413.85 °C
2576.93 °F		1211.4 K
938.25 °C
1720.85 °F
Boiling point3538 K
3264.85 °C
5908.73 °F		3106 K
2832.85 °C
5131.13 °F

Atomic properties

SiliconGermanium
Electronegativity (Pauling Scale)1.92.01
Electron affinity134.068 kJ/mol118.935 kJ/mol
Oxidation states−4, −3, −2, −1, 0, +1, +2, +3, +4
(an amphoteric oxide)		−4 −3, −2, −1, 0, +1, +2, +3, +4
(an amphoteric oxide)
Ionization energies
  1. 786.5 kJ/mol
  2. 1577.1 kJ/mol
  3. 3231.6 kJ/mol
  4. 4355.5 kJ/mol
  5. 16091 kJ/mol
  6. 19805 kJ/mol
  7. 23780 kJ/mol
  8. 29287 kJ/mol
  9. 33878 kJ/mol
  10. 38726 kJ/mol
  11. 45962 kJ/mol
  12. 50502 kJ/mol
  13. 235196 kJ/mol
  14. 257923 kJ/mol
  1. 762 kJ/mol
  2. 1537.5 kJ/mol
  3. 3302.1 kJ/mol
  4. 4411 kJ/mol
  5. 9020 kJ/mol

Electron configuration

SiliconGermanium
Shorthand configuration[Ne] 3s2 3p2 [Ar] 3d10 4s2 4p2
Full configuration1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p2 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d10 4s2 4p2
Electrons per shell2, 8, 42, 8, 18, 4

History

SiliconGermanium
PredictionAntoine Lavoisier (1787)Dmitri Mendeleev (1869)
DiscoveryJöns Jacob Berzelius (1823)Clemens Winkler (1886)
First isolationJöns Jacob Berzelius (1823)Clemens Winkler (1886)
Named byThomas Thomson (1817)
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