Chemistry:Sodium germanate

Sodium germanate

Names
Other names sodium metagermanate
Identifiers
CAS Number	12025-19-3 Y
3D model (JSmol)	Interactive image
EC Number	234-703-0
PubChem CID	13783481
UNII	X7C1F92G4R Y
InChI InChI=1S/GeO3.2Na/c2-1(3)4;;/q-2;2*+1 Key: FNIHDXPFFIOGKL-UHFFFAOYSA-N
SMILES [O-][Ge](=O)[O-].[Na+].[Na+]
Properties
Chemical formula	Na2GeO3
Molar mass	166.62 g/mol
Appearance	white solid
Odor	odorless
Density	3.31 g/cm3
Melting point	1,060 °C (1,940 °F; 1,330 K)
Solubility in water	14.4 g/100 mL (0 °C) 23.8 g/100 mL (25 °C)
Refractive index (nD)	1.59
Structure
Crystal structure	orthorhombic
Related compounds
Related compounds	Sodium silicate
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
Infobox references

Sodium germanate is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula Na₂GeO₃. It exists as a colorless solid. Sodium germanate is primarily used for the synthesis of other germanium compounds.

Preparation and reactions

Sodium germanate can be prepared by the fusion of germanium oxide with sodium hydroxide at high temperatures:

2 NaOH + GeO₂ → Na₂GeO₃ + H₂O

An intermediate in this reaction is the protonated derivative NaHGeO₃, which is a water-soluble salt.

Structure

Structure of solid sodium germanate. (color scheme: red = O) Si resides at the center of the blue tetrahedra.

it is structurally analogous to sodium metasilicate, Na₂SiO₃, consisting of polymeric GeO₃²⁻ anions made up of vertex sharing {GeO₄} tetrahedra.

See also

• Germanate