This question is for more than a theory.

I would like to disprove that what I'm working on is not a Group II, Group IV transistor.

I know they CAN exist. I don't know why they don't exist or what their properties would be.

So, q1. What would their properties be as an npn and as a pnp?

q2 How could a circuit be formed to prove or disprove that the device is this type of transistor?

It definitely has Group II and Group IV elements with silicon and heavily doped elements and I think most likely in the PNP configuration. But it doesn't act like a normal Group III-V transistor.

Here's what I have so far. I have explored this in EE.SE as a battery cell, but with such random results that I wanted to pursue down this rabbit hole at the same time.

I began experimenting with a technology from the 1890's which generated power for the early telegraph system (see <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_battery>) thinking that with the availability of newer materials such as graphite and with todays tech I might be able to find a way to make this more viable. I've succeeded in making this viable but it is extremely difficult to characterize an 'Earth Battery' cell as a battery cell - the numbers simply are non-linear.

However, consider a few things and tell me if this could actually be a transistor.

Let's take a bin of soil that is mostly made up old compost - very heavy in clay, which after doing some research I came to realize contains not only a mix of heavy metals but a lot of silicone.

Into this bin we place an 8"x8"x.090" plate of Magnesium (AZ31B - 96% Mg, 3% Zn, 1% Other) and at the other end of the bin a 4"x4"x.090" plate of pure Graphite.

If this were a battery cell, the Carbon has a potential difference of 2.3 V compared to the Mg when in an electrolyte. Because of pH differences, moisture difference, etc, we only get 1.3V ~ 1.8V and we look for a source resistance by shorting the cathode with the anode and looking for the instant current and we also take various measurements with resistors and we've done this on Electronics Engineering Stack Exchange with results that don't make sense.

Lots of reasons are given why these numbers don't make sense. However, I modeled a pnp transistor on Ltspice because of a suspicion I had and was able to get some of the results.

Here's the theory:
[![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/YLI2Y.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/YLI2Y.png)

We have Carbon, which is a Group IV element, so in silicon that would make it a p-type material, heavily doped because it fouls in soil. Then we have the Mg which is a Group II element in silicon which is also a p-type element and is doped by the oxidation process (the other heavy metals in the surrounding clay embed themselves into the Mg as it corrodes, I've witnessed this.

Now we have a PNP transistor with the Emitter being the Carbon, the Base being the Soil and the Collector being the Mg. Also, because the soil is moist, creating an electrolyte, it allows electrons to flow.

Second, when I do resistor tests over time (over 24 hour periods) I see rises and falls in the current around sunset and sunrise - proving the telluric current concept spoken of in Wikipedia. That would be something more familiar to the base of a transistor than to a battery, wouldn't it?

Also, Here are some of the tests I performed when trying to characterize it as a battery:

Shorting the device and reading the current. Using the ammeter setting on my multimeter which has separate settings for μA, mA, and A. Set to μA. Positive lead attached to Cathode, Negative Lead to Anode.
Result: 0.00 (possibly not sensitive enough?)

Finding the Open Voltage. Using the Voltage Setting with the multimeter still attached as in step 1 but leads are separated so as not to touch.
Result: 1.327 and slowly rising [over an hour this will rise to 1.68]

1. Attach various resistances and measure voltage.

Voltage setting with multimeter still attached as above. The resistor is measured first separately, then placed in between the multimeter leads. (Voltage shorted to 1.327V prior to each test) Resistors are Carbon film except in the one instance mentioned. The voltage source has an unstable frequency measured on an oscilloscope between 2Hz and 10Hz

Results:

* 2.3 ohms, 1.4mV
* 5.1 ohms, 6.7mV
* 21.9 ohms, 14.5mV
* 99.5 ohms, 127mV rises at rate of 2mv/s. (127mV is initial reading)
* 150.9 ohms (wirewound resistor), 182mV\*
* 325.8 ohms, 347mV rising

\*The 150.9 resistor started out at 110mV and rose at a rate of approx. 0.5mV/s for over 7mins, at which point I took the 182mV reading and stopped. While I recorded the readings and looked up, it had already reached into 188mV's and still was rising.

2. Using the Diode setting (to see how it would charge). (leads attached in the same fashion)

Result: 1.715 rising rapidly to 2.0 at which point my multimeter went to O/L. I quickly went to μA setting and shorted the leads. still 0 μA

3. Back at Voltage Setting.

Result: now at around 1.71V and slowly dropping until it reaches 1.35V over twenty seconds

4. Use Diode setting to 'recharge' to 2.0V. Return to Voltage Setting and Short

Result: Immediate discharge from 1.98V to 1.35V

5. Capacitance Setting

Result: Multimeter read 0.000 [indicating seeking] then eventually O/L [Too large] Max 2mF for this multimeter.

And that made me think of the Pi model for a transistor:
[![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/pcsyy.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/pcsyy.png)

This I have modelled in LtSpice, though I don't know the various C or R values and guessed the Current Value and rbb' value based on actual output. And my resulting pnp transistor operates fairly close to the results I get.

Anyhow, I would love you to smash this theory to bits!

Or, provide a wonderful circuit to disprove it in.

Thanks,
Robert