Germanium Element Cube

Germanium's atomic number is 32 and its symbol is Ge. Germanium has a chrome-like appearance and is a fairly brittle metal. As you may have guessed, germanium gets its name from Germany where it was discovered.  was used as a Germanium was commonly used in electronics as a semiconductor before silicon became popular in the 1950s. It is also used in optic fibers because of its ability to reflect a high percentage of light.