Uses and properties A silvery-white semi-metal. It is brittle. Germanium is a semiconductor. The pure element was commonly doped with arsenic, gallium or other elements and used as a transistor in thousands of electronic applications.

Pure germanium is a hard, lustrous, gray-white, brittle metalloid. It has a diamondlike crystalline structure and it is similar in chemical and physical properties to silicon.

In addition to its applications in electronic devices, germanium is used as a component of alloys and in phosphors for fluorescent lamps. Because germanium is transparent to infrared radiation, it is employed in equipment used for detecting and measuring such radiation, such as windows and lenses.

The Short Answer. Most ionic air purifiers (ionizers) are completely safe and not bad for your health. They emit negative ions into the air as a way to clean it which is harmless to you. They’re often confused with ozone generators which emit high levels of ozone that can be bad for health.

Negative ions clean the air. Negative ions attach to these particles to create a negative charge. The negative charge causes the particles to attract to positively charged surfaces such as the floor or TV screens, removing them from the air.

The shower, with hot water and steam, produces negative ions and this is one of the reasons why people need to take a shower to wake up every morning. The only thing is, the negative ions are only produced in your bathroom. The negative ions also enhance the white blood cells.

Myth: “Ozone” and “Negative ions” refer to the same thing. Fact: Not so. Ozone is an oxygen molecule consisting of three oxygen atoms. You can smell ozone if the concentration is high enough.