Copernicium-Discovery, Properties, And Applications

Copernicium is a synthetic chemical element with the symbol Cn and atomic number 112. It is a highly radioactive element and can only be created in a laboratory.

Property	Value
Name	Copernicium
Symbol	Cn
Atomic number	112
Relative atomic mass (Ar)	Group in the periodic table
Standard state	Presumably a liquid at 298 K
Appearance	Unknown, probably metallic and silvery white or grey in appearance
Classification	Metallic
Period in the periodic table	12
Group name	(none)
Block in the periodic table	7
Block in periodic table	d
Shell structure	2.8.18.32.32.18.2
CAS Registry	54084-26-3

Discovery

Copernicium was first synthesized in 1996 by a team of German and Russian scientists at the Gesellschaft für Schwerionenforschung (GSI) in Darmstadt, Germany. They bombarded lead-208 with zinc-70 ions to produce copernicium-277, which then decayed to form copernicium-277.

Physical Properties

Copernicium is a highly unstable element and does not exist naturally on Earth. Its most stable isotope, copernicium-285, has a half-life of only 29 seconds. It is a member of the group 12 elements, which includes zinc, cadmium, and mercury. Copernicium is a dense, metallic element with a silver-white color.

Chemical Properties

As an extremely heavy element, copernicium is expected to behave similarly to its lighter homologs zinc, cadmium, and mercury. However, due to its extreme instability, copernicium has not been studied extensively and its chemical properties are not well known.

Facts

• Copernicium is named after the Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus.
• Its atomic symbol, Cn, is derived from Copernicus’s name.
• Copernicium is one of the heaviest elements ever created.
• It has no known biological role and is highly toxic.

Applications

As a highly radioactive and unstable element, copernicium has no practical applications. Its study is mainly of scientific interest in the field of nuclear physics and chemistry.