Copernicium

Copernicium

Nikolaus Kopernikus, after whom copernicium is named

Copernicium is a synthetic chemical element with the symbol Cn and atomic number 112. It is an extremely radioactive element that can only be created in a laboratory. Copernicium is named after the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus, who formulated a model of the universe that placed the Sun rather than the Earth at its center.

Discovery

Copernicium was first synthesized on February 9, 1996, by the GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research in Darmstadt, Germany. The team, led by Sigurd Hofmann, bombarded lead-208 with zinc-70 ions to produce one atom of copernicium-277.

Properties

Copernicium is expected to be a transition metal and is part of the d-block of the periodic table. Due to its position in the periodic table, it is predicted to have properties similar to those of mercury, its lighter homolog. However, due to its short half-life, many of its properties have not been observed directly.

Isotopes

The most stable known isotope of copernicium is copernicium-285, which has a half-life of approximately 29 seconds. Several other isotopes have been synthesized, with mass numbers ranging from 277 to 285.

Chemical Behavior

The chemical properties of copernicium are not well known due to its short half-life and the difficulty in producing it in significant quantities. It is expected to be a noble metal and may exhibit a noble gas configuration in its gaseous state.

Related pages

• Periodic table
• Synthetic element
• Transition metal
• GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research