What family does Germanium belong to?

Germanium belongs to the carbon family. Other elements in the carbon family include silicon, tin and lead. The carbon family, or Group 14, is found in the p-block section of the periodic table.

Named after Germany and discovered in 1871 by Dmitri Mendeleyev, germanium is a vital component in the production of transistors, alloys and fluorescent lamps. Along with silicon, germanium functions as a semi-conductor. At room temperature, germanium is solid, but it melts at 1,720.85 degrees Fahrenheit. Although the characteristics of the members of the carbon family vary, they share the common trait of having two electrons in their outer p-orbital.