The invention relates to the manufacture of high purity germanium for the manufacture of e.g. infra red optics, radiation detectors and electronic devices. GeCl.sub.4 is converted to Ge metal by contacting gaseous GeCl.sub.4 with a liquid metal M containing one of Zn, Na and Mg, thereby obtaining a Ge-bearing alloy and a metal M chloride, which is removed by evaporation or skimming. The Ge-bearing alloy is then purified at a temperature above the boiling point of metal M. This process does not require complicated technologies and preserves the high purity of the GeCl.sub.4 in the final Ge metal, as the only reactant is metal M, which can be obtained in very high purity grades and continuously recycled.