Copernicium
Element 112 · Transition Metal
Copernicium is the group 12 transactinide, the superheavy counterpart of mercury. First produced in 1996 at GSI Darmstadt, only a few atoms have ever been made. Single-atom adsorption experiments suggest it is extremely volatile, possibly behaving more like a noble gas than a metal because relativistic effects tightly bind its outer electrons. Its longest-lived isotope survives about 30 seconds. Properties are predicted, with very limited experimental data. Copernicium is radioactive, with its longest-lived isotope surviving about half a minute.
Key facts
| Atomic number | 112 |
|---|---|
| Atomic weight | [285] |
| Category | Transition Metal |
| Group / Period | 12 / 7 |
| Block | d |
| Electron configuration | [Rn] 5f14 6d10 7s2 (predicted) |
| Common oxidation states | +2 (predicted) |
| State at STP | Solid |
Occurrence
Copernicium is entirely synthetic, made by fusing lead-208 with zinc-70 in accelerators.
Applications
Single-atom volatility experiments
Studies of relativistic effects on metallic character
No commercial applications
Common compounds
- Copernicium compounds (predicted, none observed)
Copernicium is named after Nicolaus Copernicus, who placed the Sun at the center of the solar system, on the 536th anniversary of his birth.
Data source: IUPAC standard atomic weights 2021