The element with atomic number 32 predicted by Mendeleev as “eka-silicon” is germanium. Its symbol is Ge, and it belongs to group 14, alongside carbon, silicon, tin, and lead.
In 1869, Dmitri Mendeleev used gaps in his periodic table to predict an undiscovered element below silicon. He called it eka-silicon, using “eka,” a Sanskrit-derived term meaning “one,” to indicate the element one place below silicon. Mendeleev even estimated several of its properties before anyone had isolated it.
German chemist Clemens Winkler discovered the element in 1886 while analysing the mineral argyrodite. Its measured properties closely matched Mendeleev’s predictions, providing powerful evidence that the periodic table reflected genuine chemical relationships. Winkler named it germanium after Germania, the Latin name for Germany.
Germanium is a brittle, greyish-white metalloid rather than a typical metal. It became important in the first generation of transistor technology, although silicon later became dominant. Today, germanium is used in fibre-optic systems, infrared optics, solar cells, LEDs, and specialised semiconductor applications.