Copernicium (Cn) is a chemical element of the periodic table, located in the group 12 and the period 7, and has the atomic number 112. It is named after the mathematician, Nicolaus Copernicus. It is a transuranium element and is counted as one of the radioactive elements.
On periodic table
| group | ⇨ | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
| period | ⇩ | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | 1 H  Hydrogen |
2 He  Helium |
|||||||||||||||||
| 2 | 3 Li  Lithium |
4 Be  Beryllium |
5 B  Boron |
6 C  Carbon |
7 N  Nitrogen |
8 O  Oxygen |
9 F  Fluorine |
10 Ne  Neon |
|||||||||||
| 3 | 11 Na  Sodium |
12 Mg  Magnesium |
13 Al  Aluminium |
14 Si  Silicon |
15 P  Phosphorus |
16 S  Sulfur |
17 Cl  Chlorine |
18 Ar  Argon |
|||||||||||
| 4 | 19 K  Potassium |
20 Ca  Calcium |
21 Sc  Scandium |
22 Ti  Titanium |
23 V  Vanadium |
24 Cr  Chromium |
25 Mn  Manganese |
26 Fe  Iron |
27 Co  Cobalt |
28 Ni  Nickel |
29 Cu  Copper |
30 Zn  Zinc |
31 Ga  Gallium |
32 Ge  Germanium |
33 As  Arsenic |
34 Se  Selenium |
35 Br  Bromine |
36 Kr  Krypton |
|
| 5 | 37 Rb  Rubidium |
38 Sr  Strontium |
39 Y  Yttrium |
40 Zr  Zirconium |
41 Nb  Niobium |
42 Mo  Molybdenum |
43 Tc  Technetium |
44 Ru  Ruthenium |
45 Rh  Rhodium |
46 Pd  Palladium |
47 Ag  Silver |
48 Cd  Cadmium |
49 In  Indium |
50 Sn  Tin |
51 Sb  Antimony |
52 Te  Tellurium |
53 I  Iodine |
54 Xe  Xenon |
|
| 6 | 55 Cs  Caesium |
56 Ba  Barium |
72 Hf  Hafnium |
73 Ta  Tantalum |
74 W  Tungsten |
75 Re  Rhenium |
76 Os  Osmium |
77 Ir  Iridium |
78 Pt  Platinum |
79 Au  Gold |
80 Hg  Mercury |
81 Tl  Thallium |
82 Pb  Lead |
83 Bi  Bismuth |
84 Po  Polonium |
85 At  Astatine |
86 Rn  Radon |
||
| 7 | 87 Fr  Francium |
88 Ra  Radium |
104 Rf  Rutherfordium |
105 Db  Dubnium |
106 Sg  Seaborgium |
107 Bh  Bohrium |
108 Hs  Hassium |
109 Mt  Meitnerium |
110 Ds  Darmstadtium |
111 Rg  Roentgenium |
112 Cn Copernicium |
113 Nh  Nihonium |
114 Fl  Flerovium |
115 Mc  Moscovium |
116 Lv  Livermorium |
117 Ts  Tennessine |
118 Og  Oganesson |
||
| 57 La  Lanthanum |
58 Ce  Cerium |
59 Pr  Praseodymium |
60 Nd  Neodymium |
61 Pm  Promethium |
62 Sm  Samarium |
63 Eu  Europium |
64 Gd  Gadolinium |
65 Tb  Terbium |
66 Dy  Dysprosium |
67 Ho  Holmium |
68 Er  Erbium |
69 Tm  Thulium |
70 Yb  Ytterbium |
71 Lu  Lutetium |
|||||
| 89 Ac  Actinium |
90 Th  Thorium |
91 Pa  Protactinium |
92 U  Uranium |
93 Np  Neptunium |
94 Pu  Plutonium |
95 Am  Americium |
96 Cm  Curium |
97 Bk  Berkelium |
98 Cf  Californium |
99 Es  Einsteinium |
100 Fm  Fermium |
101 Md  Mendelevium |
102 No  Nobelium |
103 Lr  Lawrencium |
|||||
| – d block |
Copernicium is a d-block element, situated in the twelfth column and the seventh row of the periodic table. Its atomic number is 112 and its symbol is Cn.
Element information
 |
|
| Origin of name | after mathematician, Nicolaus Copernicus |
| Symbol | Cn |
| Atomic number (Z) | 112 |
| Atomic mass | (285) |
| Block | d-block |
| Group | 12 |
| Period | 7 |
| Classification | Unknown chemical properties |
| Atomic radius | 147 pm (predicted) |
| Covalent radius | 122 pm (predicted) |
| Electron configuration | [Rn] 5f14 6d10 7s2 (predicted) |
| Electrons per shell | 2, 8, 18, 32, 32, 18, 2 (predicted) |
| Learn how to draw: Copernicium Bohr model | |
| Crystal structure | Hexagonal close-packed (hcp) (predicted) |
| Phase at r.t | Liquid (predicted) |
| Density near r.t | 14.0 g/cm3 (predicted) |
| Natural occurrence | Synthetic |
| Oxidation state | 0, +2 (predicted) |
| Protons Neutrons Electrons |
112 173 112 |
| CAS number | 54084-26-3 |
| Discovered at | Gesellschaft für Schwerionenforschung in 1996 |
History
Copernicium is a highly radioactive element that was first synthesized in 1996 by a team of German scientists led by Sigurd Hofmann and Victor Ninov at the Gesellschaft für Schwerionenforschung (GSI) in Darmstadt, Germany.
The discovery of copernicium was initially met with some controversy, as the validity of the results produced by the GSI team was questioned by some members of the scientific community. However, after additional experiments and independent confirmation from other research groups, the Joint Working Party (JWP) of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) officially recognized the GSI team as the discoverers of copernicium in May 2009.
The element was named after the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus, who is famous for his heliocentric model of the solar system. The name copernicium was suggested by the GSI team, and was officially adopted by the IUPAC.
Since its discovery, copernicium has been the subject of ongoing research, with scientists seeking to better understand its properties and potential applications. While copernicium has no known biological role, it is an important element for scientists studying nuclear physics and chemistry.
Occurrence and production
Copernicium is not found naturally on Earth, and only small amounts have been produced in laboratories. It is a synthetic element that has to be produced in nuclear reactors or particle accelerators.
Copernicium can be produced by bombarding a target material, usually a heavy metal such as lead or bismuth, with high-energy particles, typically from a linear accelerator or cyclotron. The resulting nuclear reaction creates copernicium atoms, which can be detected and analyzed by specialized instruments. Copernicium has a very short half-life, so it can only be produced and studied in very small quantities before it decays into other elements. The most common method of producing copernicium is through the fusion of zinc-70 and lead-208, which was first used in 2003 to produce four atoms of copernicium.
Properties
Physical properties
Copernicium is expected to be dense, and has a silvery-white appearance.
It is predicted to have a high melting and boiling point due to its position below mercury in the periodic table.
Chemical properties
Copernicium is expected to be a highly reactive element, especially towards halogens and chalcogens.
It is predicted to have a strong tendency to form volatile compounds due to its expected electronic configuration.
Atomic and nuclear properties
Copernicium is a synthetic element, and all its isotopes are radioactive.
It has no stable isotopes, and the most stable known isotope is 285Cn, which has a half-life of around 30 seconds.
283Cn has a half-life of about 4 seconds, while 277Cn has a half-life of about 0.24 milliseconds.
Its atomic radius, electron affinity, and electronegativity are expected to be similar to those of mercury, due to their similar electron configurations.
Other properties
Copernicium is expected to have no significant biological role, due to its high radioactivity and short half-life.
Due to its extremely short half-life, copernicium has no practical applications, and its properties are mainly of scientific interest.
Note: These properties are based on theoretical calculations and extrapolations, and may be subject to revision as more experimental data becomes available.
Applications
Copernicium is a man-made element and is currently not used for any practical applications due to its extremely short half-life and high radioactivity. However, its study is important in the field of nuclear physics and chemistry, where it is used for understanding the nature of the strong force, which holds the nucleus of an atom together.
Fundamental research
Copernicium can be used as a tool for understanding the properties and behavior of heavy elements and their isotopes. Its study provides insights into the behavior of the nucleus at the extreme limits of atomic mass and stability.
Nuclear physics research
Copernicium can be used in experiments to study the structure and properties of the atomic nucleus, as well as to test various theoretical models.
Chemical research
Copernicium can be used in experiments to study the chemical properties and behavior of heavy elements and their compounds.
Medical research
Although copernicium is not used in medical applications, its study can provide insights into the behavior and effects of radiation on living organisms. This can help in developing better methods of radiation therapy and protection.
Interesting facts
Copernicium was first synthesized in 1996 by a team of German scientists led by Sigurd Hofmann and Victor Ninov.
The element is named after astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus.
Copernicium is a highly radioactive element with a very short half-life, making it difficult to study its properties.
It is a member of the group 12 elements, also known as the zinc group.
Copernicium is believed to have similar chemical properties to zinc, cadmium, and mercury, although it is not known to occur naturally on Earth.
Due to its high radioactivity, copernicium has no known biological or industrial applications.
The discovery of copernicium was not officially recognized by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) until 2009.
Copernicium has only been produced in very small quantities in the laboratory, and its properties are still being studied by scientists.
Copernicium is the heaviest element to have been synthesized in a laboratory so far, with an atomic number of 112.
In 2015, a team of scientists at the GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research in Germany successfully produced copernicium atoms using a new experimental setup, which may help to shed more light on the properties of this rare element.
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Related
More elements
External links
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copernicium
- https://www.rsc.org/periodic-table/element/112/copernicium
- https://www.britannica.com/science/copernicium
- https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/element/Copernicium
- https://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele112.html
- https://www.chemicool.com/elements/copernicium.html
- https://www.livescience.com/41384-facts-about-copernicium.html
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