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:
- 2NaOH + GeO2 → Na2GeO3 + H2O
An intermediate in this reaction is the protonated derivative NaHGeO
3, which is a water-soluble salt.
Structure
it is structurally analogous to sodium metasilicate, Na
2SiO
3, consisting of polymeric GeO
32− anions made up of vertex sharing {GeO
4} tetrahedra.
[C. C. Addison, Inorganic Chemistry of the Main-Group Elements, vol 1, 1973, The chemical Society, ]
See also
