Human Metabolome Database: Germanium
Description
Germanium is a hard, grayish-white element that has a metallic luster and the same crystal structure as diamond. Germanium is a chemical element in the periodic table that has the symbol Ge and atomic number 32. It 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. In 1871 germanium (Latin Germania for Germany) was one of the elements that Dmitri Mendeleev predicted to exist as a missing analogue of the silicon group (Mendeleev called it "ekasilicon"). The existence of this element was proven by Clemens Winkler in 1886. This discovery was an important confirmation of Mendeleev's idea of element periodicity. Germanium is not an essential element. Its acute toxicity is low. Germanium-containing dietary supplements became popular in the 1970s in Japan and later in other countries, as elixirs for certain diseases (e.g., cancer and AIDS). However, at least 31 reported human cases linked prolonged intake of germanium products with renal failure and even death.
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