Copernicium

1 · Identity

Symbol, number

Cn, 112

Oxidation states in water

2, 1 and 0 listed (book entry); thought to be unreactive

Note

Identity from the book entry; nothing measured in water.

Sources

Identity

Name and symbol

Copernicium, Cn

Atomic number

112 protons

Position

group 12 · period 7 · d-block · transition metal

CAS number

54084-26-3

Atomic structure

Atomic mass

285 u

Electron configuration

1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 4s² 3d¹⁰ 4p⁶ 5s² 4d¹⁰ 5p⁶ 6s² 4f¹⁴ 5d¹⁰ 6p⁶ 7s² 5f¹⁴ 6d¹⁰
[Rn] 7s² 5f¹⁴ 6d¹⁰(predicted)

Electrons per shell

2, 8, 18, 32, 32, 18, 2

Valence electrons

12 ns and (n-1)d

Physical properties

State at room temperature

Expected to be a Solid

Melting point

not in sources

Boiling point

357 K (83.85 °C)

Density

not in sources

Appearance

not in sources

Thermal conductivity

not in sources

Electrical resistivity

not in sources

Electrical conductivity

not in sources

Crystal structure

hexagonal close-packed

Molar heat capacity

not in sources

Chemical properties

Oxidation states

2, (1), 0 ​​(parenthesized oxidation states are predictions)

Electronegativity

not in sources

Ionisation energy

not in sources

Electron affinity

not in sources

Atomic radius

not in sources

Ionic radius

not in sources

Reactivity

A group 12 transactinide whose only chemistry is adsorption of single atoms on gold and selenium: it is more volatile than mercury and shows radon-like behavior from relativistic stabilization of the 7s electrons, its adsorption on gold being read as a weak metal-metal bond (or, per a 2019 reanalysis, dispersion forces), with a boiling point estimated near 84 C.

with water

Not known; no experiment has been reported.

with oxygen, air

Not known; no experiment has been reported.

with acids

Not known; no experiment has been reported.

with halogens

Not known; no experiment has been reported.

Typical compounds

not in sources

Occurrence, production and use

Crustal abundance

Not Applicable

Oceanic abundance

Not Applicable

Occurrence and sources

• synthetic only lead and zinc atoms fused in a heavy ion accelerator

Extraction, production

not in sources

Uses

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.

Safety, toxicity

not in sources

Discovery and name

Discovered by

Gesellschaft für Schwerionenforschung

Discovered

1996

First isolated

not in sources

Named by

not in sources

Origin of the name

after Nicolaus Copernicus

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.

Copernicium is named after the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus.