| Atomic Mass | 285 |
|---|---|
| Electron Configuration | [Rn] 7s2 5f14 6d10(predicted) |
| Oxidation States | 2, (1), 0 (parenthesized oxidation states are predictions) |
| Year Discovered | 1996 |
| Atomic Mass | 285 |
|---|---|
| Electron Configuration | [Rn] 7s2 5f14 6d10(predicted) |
| Oxidation States | 2, (1), 0 (parenthesized |
| Year Discovered | 1996 |
| Element Name | Copernicium |
|---|---|
| Element Symbol | Cn |
| InChI | InChI=1S/Cn |
| InChIKey | NOTIIDSZELDPOP-UHFFFAOYSA-N |
| Atomic Weight |
285 285 Relative Mass: 285.17712(60#) |
|---|---|
| Electron Configuration |
[Rn] 7s2 5f14 6d10(predicted) |
| Atomic Radius |
Empirical Atomic Radius : empirical: 147 pm (predicted) |
| Oxidation States |
2, (1), 0 (parenthesized oxidation states are predictions) |
| Physical Description |
Expected to be a Solid |
| Element Classification |
Metal |
| Element Period Number |
7 |
| Element Group Number |
12 |
| Boiling Point |
357+112-108K(84+112-108°C,183+202-194°F) |
| Estimated Crustal Abundance |
Not Applicable |
| Estimated Oceanic Abundance |
Not Applicable |
Copernicium was first produced by Peter Armbruster, Gottfried Münzenber and their team working at the Gesellschaft für Schwerionenforschung in Darmstadt, Germany on February 9, 1996. They bombarded atoms of lead with ions of zinc with a device known as a linear accelerator. This produced atoms of copernicium-277, an isotope with a half-life of about 0.24 milliseconds (0.00024 seconds). Copernicium's most stable isotope, copernicium-285, has a half-life of about 30 seconds. It decays into darmstadtium-281 through alpha decay.
On February 9, 1996, element 277Cn was created at the Gesellschaft fur Schwerionenforschung in Darmstadt, Germany by using the reaction 208Pb + 70Zn. Unlike element 110, Copernicium has properties more similar to radon than mercury, but due to its short half-life, it is difficult to study. As of 2011, Copernicum's most stable isotope has an atomic weight of 285.
Copernicium does not occur naturally in the Earth’s crust. Copernicium was synthesized by scientists at the GSI Helmholtz Center for Heavy Ion Research in Darmstadt, Germany in 1996 (Fig. IUPAC.112.1). Sigurd Hofmann and an international team of scientists used the nuclear reaction 208Pb (70Zn, n) 277Cn. The observed alpha decays led to the known nuclide, 269Sg. The name, copernicium, was given to element 112 to honor astronomer Nicholas Copernicus, who is known for his heliocentric theory of how the planets orbit the Sun [663], [664]. Copernicium has no known isotopic applications aside from scientific research.
![Fig. IUPAC.112.1: The team of international scientists responsible for discovering copernicium. (Photo Source: GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung GmbH) [663].](https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/images/iupac/j_pac-2015-0703_fig_148.jpg)
Copernicium is named after the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus.
Since only a few atoms of copernicium have ever been produced, it currently has no uses outside of basic scientific research.
Originally, the symbol Cp was recommended for Copernicium. That symbol was rejected because Cp had previously been used for the element lutetium which, prior to 1949, had cassiopeium as an alternative allowed name. Please see this file for additional details.
See more information at the Copernicium compound page.
| Stable Isotope Count | 0 |
|---|
| Nuclide | Atomic Mass and Uncertainty [u] | Half Life and Uncertainty | Discovery Year | Decay Modes, Intensities and Uncertainties [%] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 276Cn | 276.161418 ± 0.000537 [Estimated] | 100 us [Estimated] | α ?; SF ? | |
| 277Cn | 277.163535 ± 0.000165 [Estimated] | 790 us ± 330 | 1996 | α=100% |
| 278Cn | 278.164083 ± 0.00047 [Estimated] | 2 ms [Estimated] | α ?; SF ? | |
| 279Cn | 279.166422 ± 0.000424 [Estimated] | 60 us [Estimated] | α ?; SF ? | |
| 280Cn | 280.167102 ± 0.000626 [Estimated] | 5 ms [Estimated] | α ?; SF ? | |
| 281Cn | 281.169563 ± 0.000427 [Estimated] | 180 ms ± 80 | 2010 | α≈100%; SF ? |
| 282Cn | 282.170507 ± 0.000588 [Estimated] | 1.1 ms ± 0.3 | 2004 | SF≈100%; α ? |
| 283Cn | 283.173202 ± 0.00066 [Estimated] | 4.7 s ± 0.8 | 2004 | α=81%; SF=19% |
| 284Cn | 284.174360 ± 0.000819 [Estimated] | 102 ms ± 17 | 2004 | SF=100% |
| 285Cn | 285.177227 ± 0.000544 [Estimated] | 30 s ± 8 | 2004 | α=100% |
| 285Cnm | 285.177227 ± 0.000544 [Estimated] | 15 s ± 12 | 2012 | α=100% |
| 286Cn | 286.178691 ± 0.000751 [Estimated] | 30 s ± 30 | 2016 | α≈100%; SF ? |
| 287Cn | 287.181826 ± 0.000751 [Estimated] | 30 s [Estimated] | α ?; SF ? | |
| 288Cn | 288.183501 ± 0.000751 [Estimated] | 10 s [Estimated] | α ?; SF ? |
