<< Chapter < Page Chapter >> Page >

The group was once also known as the tetrels (from Greek tetra meaning four ), stemming from the earlier naming convention of this group as Group IVA. [link] lists the derivation of the names of the Group 14 elements.

Derivation of the names of each of the Group 14 elements.
Element Symbol Name
Carbon C From the Latin carbo meaning coal
Silicon Si From the Latin silicis meaning flints
Germanium Ge From the Latin Germania for Germany
Tin Sn From the Anglo-Saxon and from the Latin stannum meaning melts easily
Lead Pb From the Anglo-Saxon, and from the Latin plumbum meaning soft metal

Discovery

Carbon

Carbon was known in prehistory in the form of soot; while charcoal was made in Roman times (by heating wood while exclude air) and diamonds were known as early as 2500 BC in China. In 1772, Antoine Lavoisier ( [link] ) showed that diamonds were a form of carbon, when he burned samples of carbon and diamond and showed that both formed the same amount of carbon dioxide per gram of material. Carl Scheele ( [link] ) showed that graphite was a form of carbon rather a form of lead.

French chemist and biologist Antoine-Laurent de Lavoisier (1743 – 1794).
German-Swedish pharmaceutical chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele (1742 - 1786). Author Isaac Asimov has called him "hard-luck Scheele" because he made a number of chemical discoveries before others who are generally given the credit.

A new allotrope of carbon, fullerene, was discovered in 1985 by Robert Curl, Harry Kroto, and Richard Smalley ( [link] ) who subsequently shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1996. Fullerenes have been reveled to include nanostructured forms such as buckyballs and nanotubes. The renewed interest in new forms lead to the discovery of further exotic allotropes, including glassy carbon, and the realization that amorphous carbon is not amorphous.

Rice University chemists Richard E. Smalley (1943 - 2005) and Robert F. Curl (1933 - ).

Silicon

Silicon was first identified by Antoine Lavoisier ( [link] ) in 1787 as a component of flints, and was later mistaken by Humphry Davy ( [link] ) for a compound rather than an element. In 1824, Berzelius ( [link] ) prepared amorphous silicon by the reaction of potassium with silicon tetrafluoride, [link]

British chemist and inventor Sir Humphry Davy FRS (1778 - 1829).
Swedish chemist Jöns Jacob Berzelius (1779 – 1848).

Germanium

In 1869 Dmitri Mendeleev ( [link] ) predicted the existence of several unknown elements, including ekasilicon (Es) between silicon and tin.

Russian chemist and inventor Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleev (1834 – 1907).

In 1885 a new mineral (named argyrodite because of its high silver content) was found in a mine near Freiberg, Saxony. Clemens Winkler ( [link] ) isolated Mendeleev’s missing element. He originally was going to name neptunium because like this element, because like ekasilicon, the planet Neptune had been preceded by mathematical prediction of its existence. However, the name neptunium had already been given to an element and so Winkler named the new metal germanium in honor of his fatherland.

German chemist Clemens Alexander Winkler (1838 –1904).

Winkler was able to isolate sufficient germanium from 500 kg of ore to determine a number properties, including an atomic weight of 72.32 g/mol by analyzing pure germanium tetrachloride (GeCl 4 ). Winkler prepared several new compounds of germanium, including the fluorides, chlorides, sulfides, germanium dioxide, and tetraethylgermane (Ge(C 2 H 5 ) 4 ). The physical data from these compounds, corresponded with Mendeleev's predictions ( [link] ).

Questions & Answers

A golfer on a fairway is 70 m away from the green, which sits below the level of the fairway by 20 m. If the golfer hits the ball at an angle of 40° with an initial speed of 20 m/s, how close to the green does she come?
Aislinn Reply
cm
tijani
what is titration
John Reply
what is physics
Siyaka Reply
A mouse of mass 200 g falls 100 m down a vertical mine shaft and lands at the bottom with a speed of 8.0 m/s. During its fall, how much work is done on the mouse by air resistance
Jude Reply
Can you compute that for me. Ty
Jude
what is the dimension formula of energy?
David Reply
what is viscosity?
David
what is inorganic
emma Reply
what is chemistry
Youesf Reply
what is inorganic
emma
Chemistry is a branch of science that deals with the study of matter,it composition,it structure and the changes it undergoes
Adjei
please, I'm a physics student and I need help in physics
Adjanou
chemistry could also be understood like the sexual attraction/repulsion of the male and female elements. the reaction varies depending on the energy differences of each given gender. + masculine -female.
Pedro
A ball is thrown straight up.it passes a 2.0m high window 7.50 m off the ground on it path up and takes 1.30 s to go past the window.what was the ball initial velocity
Krampah Reply
2. A sled plus passenger with total mass 50 kg is pulled 20 m across the snow (0.20) at constant velocity by a force directed 25° above the horizontal. Calculate (a) the work of the applied force, (b) the work of friction, and (c) the total work.
Sahid Reply
you have been hired as an espert witness in a court case involving an automobile accident. the accident involved car A of mass 1500kg which crashed into stationary car B of mass 1100kg. the driver of car A applied his brakes 15 m before he skidded and crashed into car B. after the collision, car A s
Samuel Reply
can someone explain to me, an ignorant high school student, why the trend of the graph doesn't follow the fact that the higher frequency a sound wave is, the more power it is, hence, making me think the phons output would follow this general trend?
Joseph Reply
Nevermind i just realied that the graph is the phons output for a person with normal hearing and not just the phons output of the sound waves power, I should read the entire thing next time
Joseph
Follow up question, does anyone know where I can find a graph that accuretly depicts the actual relative "power" output of sound over its frequency instead of just humans hearing
Joseph
"Generation of electrical energy from sound energy | IEEE Conference Publication | IEEE Xplore" ***ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7150687?reload=true
Ryan
what's motion
Maurice Reply
what are the types of wave
Maurice
answer
Magreth
progressive wave
Magreth
hello friend how are you
Muhammad Reply
fine, how about you?
Mohammed
hi
Mujahid
A string is 3.00 m long with a mass of 5.00 g. The string is held taut with a tension of 500.00 N applied to the string. A pulse is sent down the string. How long does it take the pulse to travel the 3.00 m of the string?
yasuo Reply
Who can show me the full solution in this problem?
Reofrir Reply
Got questions? Join the online conversation and get instant answers!
Jobilize.com Reply

Get Jobilize Job Search Mobile App in your pocket Now!

Get it on Google Play Download on the App Store Now




Source:  OpenStax, Chemistry of the main group elements. OpenStax CNX. Aug 20, 2010 Download for free at http://cnx.org/content/col11124/1.25
Google Play and the Google Play logo are trademarks of Google Inc.

Notification Switch

Would you like to follow the 'Chemistry of the main group elements' conversation and receive update notifications?

Ask