Germanium is a semiconductor in group IVA of the periodic table. It has an atomic number of 32, an atomic weight of 72.59, and a density of 5.32 Mg/m 3. Its melting temperature is 937.4 C. Germanium ...
One of the graduate students, Seymour Benzer, accidentally discovered that a crystal of germanium -- a semiconductor which was not well understood at the time -- could withstand higher voltage ...