112
Cn
Copernicium

Copernicium

Element 112 • Transition Metal
Atomic Mass 285.000000
Electron Config Unknown
Group/Period 12/7

Table of Contents

Physical Properties Special Properties Applications Common Uses Natural Occurrence Discovery Safety Information Frequently Asked Questions

Physical Properties

MEASURED
Atomic Mass
285.000000 u
Ionization Energy
11.70 kJ/mol

Special Properties

CLASSIFIED
RADIOACTIVE This element emits radiation

Applications

CATALOGUED
Copernicium, as an extremely short-lived synthetic superheavy element with a half-life measured in seconds, has no practical applications beyond fundamental nuclear physics research and theoretical investigations into the limits of atomic structure and nuclear stability. The element serves exclusively to advance scientific understanding of superheavy nuclei and provide critical experimental data for testing sophisticated theoretical predictions about the proposed island of stability where certain superheavy elements might exhibit longer half-lives and potentially useful properties. Research with Copernicium contributes significantly to validating advanced nuclear shell models and understanding how protons and neutrons organize themselves in very heavy atomic nuclei at the absolute extremes of nuclear physics. The element serves as a crucial testing ground for the most sophisticated theoretical models available that attempt to predict the chemical and physical properties of superheavy elements through complex relativistic quantum mechanical calculations and advanced computational methods. Copernicium research helps scientists understand how profound relativistic effects influence atomic behavior, electron orbital structures, and chemical properties as elements become increasingly heavy and electrons move at substantial fractions of the speed of light. The experimental techniques, instrumentation, and methodologies developed specifically for creating and detecting Copernicium have significantly advanced nuclear physics technology and contributed to major improvements in particle accelerator systems, detection equipment, and data analysis methods. Studies of Copernicium provide invaluable data for understanding stellar nucleosynthesis processes and how the heaviest elements in the universe are formed during the most extreme astrophysical events such as neutron star mergers, supernovae, and other high-energy cosmic phenomena. The element's research contributes substantially to training the next generation of nuclear physicists and developing revolutionary experimental methodologies for studying rare nuclear phenomena at the absolute frontiers of current scientific and technological capability. While Copernicium itself has no conceivable practical applications, the fundamental research it enables significantly advances our understanding of nuclear processes that underlie many critically important technologies in nuclear medicine, nuclear power generation, materials science, and quantum physics applications.

Common Uses

INDEXED
Copernicium has absolutely no applications whatsoever in everyday life, industry, commerce, technology, or any practical field due to its extremely short half-life of approximately 28 seconds and the fact that only individual atoms can be produced using the most advanced particle accelerator facilities available anywhere in the world. The element is used exclusively in the most cutting-edge nuclear physics research conducted at a very small number of major international laboratories equipped with the most sophisticated heavy-ion accelerators and ultra-sensitive detection systems available to modern science. Research institutions study Copernicium to explore the most fundamental questions about the theoretical limits of atomic structure, nuclear stability, and the absolute maximum number of protons that can be contained within a single atomic nucleus under any conceivable conditions. Nuclear physicists use Copernicium as an essential benchmark for testing and rigorously validating the most advanced theoretical models and computational methods that predict the behavior, properties, and chemical characteristics of superheavy elements at the extremes of the periodic table. The element serves as a critical experimental testing ground for the most sophisticated computational chemistry methods available that attempt to predict chemical properties, atomic behavior, and physical characteristics through extraordinarily complex relativistic quantum mechanical calculations rather than direct experimental measurement. Educational programs in advanced nuclear physics and theoretical chemistry use Copernicium as a premier example of cutting-edge research into the most fundamental aspects of matter and the ongoing scientific quest to understand atomic structure at its absolute theoretical and practical limits. Scientific databases, research publications, and reference materials maintain the most comprehensive records possible of Copernicium's properties to ensure complete documentation of all known chemical elements, including those existing only briefly under the most specialized and controlled laboratory conditions. International scientific collaborations study Copernicium to advance global understanding of superheavy element physics and foster unprecedented levels of knowledge sharing and cooperation in nuclear research at the absolute frontiers of human scientific capability and understanding. The element's study contributes significantly to developing revolutionary new experimental techniques and instrumentation for detecting and analyzing extremely rare nuclear events and ephemeral nuclear species that exist for only seconds under highly controlled conditions.

Natural Occurrence

SURVEYED
Copernicium does not occur naturally anywhere in the universe under any currently known or theoretically predicted physical conditions and can only be created artificially through extraordinarily complex and precisely controlled nuclear fusion reactions using the most advanced and powerful particle accelerator facilities available anywhere on Earth. The element is synthesized by bombarding extremely heavy target nuclei with carefully selected lighter projectile nuclei accelerated to tremendous and precisely controlled energies, typically using zinc-70 projectiles and lead-208 targets to create Copernicium-277 through meticulously controlled nuclear fusion processes requiring extraordinary precision. Production requires the most sophisticated and powerful heavy-ion accelerators in existence, capable of accelerating ions to exact energies while maintaining unprecedented accuracy in beam focusing, target positioning, timing synchronization, particle detection, and data acquisition systems operating at the limits of current technology. Even utilizing the most advanced accelerator technology available to modern science and operated by the most skilled scientific teams, only individual atoms of Copernicium can be produced over extended periods of intensive operation, and these atoms decay through complex radioactive processes within seconds to minutes of their creation. The most stable known isotope, Copernicium-285, has a half-life of approximately 28 seconds under laboratory conditions, while other known isotopes decay significantly more rapidly, some within milliseconds of their formation in the accelerator target chamber. The element's production is restricted to perhaps two or three specialized research facilities worldwide, including GSI in Germany and RIKEN in Japan, institutions possessing the extraordinary technological capabilities, expertise, and resources required for superheavy element synthesis research. The completely synthetic nature of Copernicium means it has absolutely no geological occurrence anywhere on Earth or other planetary bodies, no environmental presence whatsoever under any natural conditions, and no natural formation processes anywhere in the known universe under current physical laws and cosmic conditions. All Copernicium research must be conducted on individual atoms or extremely small numbers of atoms detected through their highly characteristic and unique radioactive decay signatures, requiring the most sensitive, sophisticated, and advanced detection equipment available to modern nuclear physics research. The total quantity of Copernicium ever created by humanity throughout the entire history of nuclear physics research would be far too minuscule to detect using any conventional measurement techniques, representing perhaps fewer than several dozen atoms produced over decades of intensive international research efforts involving the most advanced facilities and scientific expertise available.

Discovery

ARCHIVED
1996
Copernicium was first synthesized in 1996 by an international team of nuclear physicists led by Sigurd Hofmann at the GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research in Darmstadt, Germany, using their state-of-the-art heavy-ion linear accelerator (UNILAC) and the most advanced particle detection and analysis systems available at the time. The groundbreaking discovery involved bombarding lead-208 targets with zinc-70 ions accelerated to extraordinarily high and precisely controlled energies, successfully creating copernicium-277 through nuclear fusion reactions and detecting its highly characteristic radioactive decay signature over approximately 0.24 milliseconds using sophisticated detection equipment. The German research team employed the most advanced detection technology available, including cutting-edge position-sensitive detectors, precise time-of-flight measurement systems, advanced energy analysis equipment, and complex computer-based data analysis algorithms to identify individual copernicium atoms through their unique and unmistakable decay chains and energy characteristics. The element was initially assigned the systematic placeholder name "ununbium" (meaning "one-one-two" in Latin) according to International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) systematic naming conventions established for newly discovered superheavy elements awaiting thorough scientific review and official recognition. The research team proposed the name "copernicium" to honor the revolutionary Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus, who fundamentally transformed our understanding of the universe by proposing the heliocentric model that placed the Sun, rather than Earth, at the center of the solar system, revolutionizing astronomy and human understanding of our place in the cosmos. The discovery represented an extraordinary achievement in nuclear physics and accelerator technology, requiring unprecedented precision in accelerator operation, ion beam control, target preparation and positioning, timing synchronization, and detection methodology to create and positively identify atoms existing for mere fractions of a second. The successful synthesis involved many years of intensive technological development in heavy-ion accelerator physics, ultra-sensitive particle detection systems, sophisticated data acquisition and analysis techniques, and advanced statistical methods for identifying extremely rare nuclear events against complex background signals and noise. IUPAC officially approved the name "copernicium" with the chemical symbol "Cn" in 2010 after comprehensive international review of the experimental evidence, independent verification attempts by other research groups, and thorough confirmation of the discovery's scientific validity and reproducibility. The achievement demonstrated continuing rapid advancement in superheavy element research capabilities and provided essential experimental data for testing the most advanced theoretical predictions about nuclear stability, atomic structure, relativistic effects, and chemical properties at the absolute extremes of the periodic table.

Safety Information

CRITICAL
Copernicium presents the most extreme and comprehensive radiological hazards encountered in any area of nuclear physics research due to its intense radioactivity, short half-life characteristics, and the extraordinarily high-energy nuclear processes required for its production, detection, analysis, and study under controlled laboratory conditions. The primary safety concerns involve not the individual Copernicium atoms themselves, which exist in negligible quantities for extremely brief periods, but the incredibly intense, complex, and multi-faceted radiation fields generated during synthesis processes and the intricate cascade of highly radioactive decay products formed as the element undergoes successive radioactive transformations through multiple decay pathways. Personnel working in Copernicium research must utilize the most comprehensive, advanced, and sophisticated radiation monitoring systems available to modern nuclear science and follow the most stringent, detailed, and rigorously enforced safety protocols ever developed for nuclear physics research, specifically designed and continuously updated to minimize exposure to high-energy gamma radiation, neutron flux, alpha particles, beta radiation, and potential radioactive contamination from multiple sources. Research facilities must be equipped with multiple redundant layers of the most sophisticated and effective radiation shielding systems possible, incorporating carefully selected dense materials such as lead, tungsten, depleted uranium, borated polyethylene, and specialized neutron-absorbing composite materials to protect workers from the intense, multi-spectral, and complex radiation environment created during superheavy element research. The work environment requires continuous, real-time monitoring using multiple independent and redundant radiation detection systems with advanced automatic safety interlocks and emergency response capabilities that can instantaneously shut down all operations, isolate contaminated areas, and activate emergency protocols if radiation levels exceed any predetermined safety threshold or if any safety system indicates potentially
hazardous conditions.
All personnel must successfully complete extensive, comprehensive, and regularly updated specialized training programs covering advanced radiation safety principles, emergency response procedures, nuclear physics hazards, superheavy element-specific risks, facility-specific safety protocols, and the particular safety challenges associated with Copernicium research before being granted access to these highly restricted and carefully controlled facilities. The decay characteristics of Copernicium mean it undergoes radioactive decay through multiple complex pathways and mechanisms, creating an intricate and constantly changing mixture of highly radioactive daughter products with varying decay modes, radiation types, energy spectra, and half-lives, each requiring specific and carefully designed containment, monitoring, and safety procedures tailored to their individual hazard profiles.

Knowledge Database

Essential information about Copernicium (Cn)

Copernicium is unique due to its atomic number of 112 and belongs to the Transition Metal category. With an atomic mass of 285.000000, it exhibits distinctive properties that make it valuable for various applications.

Copernicium has several important physical properties:

State at Room Temperature: solid

Copernicium has various important applications in modern technology and industry:

Copernicium, as an extremely short-lived synthetic superheavy element with a half-life measured in seconds, has no practical applications beyond fundamental nuclear physics research and theoretical investigations into the limits of atomic structure and nuclear stability. The element serves exclusively to advance scientific understanding of superheavy nuclei and provide critical experimental data for testing sophisticated theoretical predictions about the proposed island of stability where certain superheavy elements might exhibit longer half-lives and potentially useful properties. Research with Copernicium contributes significantly to validating advanced nuclear shell models and understanding how protons and neutrons organize themselves in very heavy atomic nuclei at the absolute extremes of nuclear physics. The element serves as a crucial testing ground for the most sophisticated theoretical models available that attempt to predict the chemical and physical properties of superheavy elements through complex relativistic quantum mechanical calculations and advanced computational methods. Copernicium research helps scientists understand how profound relativistic effects influence atomic behavior, electron orbital structures, and chemical properties as elements become increasingly heavy and electrons move at substantial fractions of the speed of light. The experimental techniques, instrumentation, and methodologies developed specifically for creating and detecting Copernicium have significantly advanced nuclear physics technology and contributed to major improvements in particle accelerator systems, detection equipment, and data analysis methods. Studies of Copernicium provide invaluable data for understanding stellar nucleosynthesis processes and how the heaviest elements in the universe are formed during the most extreme astrophysical events such as neutron star mergers, supernovae, and other high-energy cosmic phenomena. The element's research contributes substantially to training the next generation of nuclear physicists and developing revolutionary experimental methodologies for studying rare nuclear phenomena at the absolute frontiers of current scientific and technological capability. While Copernicium itself has no conceivable practical applications, the fundamental research it enables significantly advances our understanding of nuclear processes that underlie many critically important technologies in nuclear medicine, nuclear power generation, materials science, and quantum physics applications.
1996
Copernicium was first synthesized in 1996 by an international team of nuclear physicists led by Sigurd Hofmann at the GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research in Darmstadt, Germany, using their state-of-the-art heavy-ion linear accelerator (UNILAC) and the most advanced particle detection and analysis systems available at the time. The groundbreaking discovery involved bombarding lead-208 targets with zinc-70 ions accelerated to extraordinarily high and precisely controlled energies, successfully creating copernicium-277 through nuclear fusion reactions and detecting its highly characteristic radioactive decay signature over approximately 0.24 milliseconds using sophisticated detection equipment. The German research team employed the most advanced detection technology available, including cutting-edge position-sensitive detectors, precise time-of-flight measurement systems, advanced energy analysis equipment, and complex computer-based data analysis algorithms to identify individual copernicium atoms through their unique and unmistakable decay chains and energy characteristics. The element was initially assigned the systematic placeholder name "ununbium" (meaning "one-one-two" in Latin) according to International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) systematic naming conventions established for newly discovered superheavy elements awaiting thorough scientific review and official recognition. The research team proposed the name "copernicium" to honor the revolutionary Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus, who fundamentally transformed our understanding of the universe by proposing the heliocentric model that placed the Sun, rather than Earth, at the center of the solar system, revolutionizing astronomy and human understanding of our place in the cosmos. The discovery represented an extraordinary achievement in nuclear physics and accelerator technology, requiring unprecedented precision in accelerator operation, ion beam control, target preparation and positioning, timing synchronization, and detection methodology to create and positively identify atoms existing for mere fractions of a second. The successful synthesis involved many years of intensive technological development in heavy-ion accelerator physics, ultra-sensitive particle detection systems, sophisticated data acquisition and analysis techniques, and advanced statistical methods for identifying extremely rare nuclear events against complex background signals and noise. IUPAC officially approved the name "copernicium" with the chemical symbol "Cn" in 2010 after comprehensive international review of the experimental evidence, independent verification attempts by other research groups, and thorough confirmation of the discovery's scientific validity and reproducibility. The achievement demonstrated continuing rapid advancement in superheavy element research capabilities and provided essential experimental data for testing the most advanced theoretical predictions about nuclear stability, atomic structure, relativistic effects, and chemical properties at the absolute extremes of the periodic table.

Discovered by: Copernicium was first synthesized in 1996 by an international team of nuclear physicists led by Sigurd Hofmann at the GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research in Darmstadt, Germany, using their state-of-the-art heavy-ion linear accelerator (UNILAC) and the most advanced particle detection and analysis systems available at the time. The groundbreaking discovery involved bombarding lead-208 targets with zinc-70 ions accelerated to extraordinarily high and precisely controlled energies, successfully creating copernicium-277 through nuclear fusion reactions and detecting its highly characteristic radioactive decay signature over approximately 0.24 milliseconds using sophisticated detection equipment. The German research team employed the most advanced detection technology available, including cutting-edge position-sensitive detectors, precise time-of-flight measurement systems, advanced energy analysis equipment, and complex computer-based data analysis algorithms to identify individual copernicium atoms through their unique and unmistakable decay chains and energy characteristics. The element was initially assigned the systematic placeholder name "ununbium" (meaning "one-one-two" in Latin) according to International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) systematic naming conventions established for newly discovered superheavy elements awaiting thorough scientific review and official recognition. The research team proposed the name "copernicium" to honor the revolutionary Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus, who fundamentally transformed our understanding of the universe by proposing the heliocentric model that placed the Sun, rather than Earth, at the center of the solar system, revolutionizing astronomy and human understanding of our place in the cosmos. The discovery represented an extraordinary achievement in nuclear physics and accelerator technology, requiring unprecedented precision in accelerator operation, ion beam control, target preparation and positioning, timing synchronization, and detection methodology to create and positively identify atoms existing for mere fractions of a second. The successful synthesis involved many years of intensive technological development in heavy-ion accelerator physics, ultra-sensitive particle detection systems, sophisticated data acquisition and analysis techniques, and advanced statistical methods for identifying extremely rare nuclear events against complex background signals and noise. IUPAC officially approved the name "copernicium" with the chemical symbol "Cn" in 2010 after comprehensive international review of the experimental evidence, independent verification attempts by other research groups, and thorough confirmation of the discovery's scientific validity and reproducibility. The achievement demonstrated continuing rapid advancement in superheavy element research capabilities and provided essential experimental data for testing the most advanced theoretical predictions about nuclear stability, atomic structure, relativistic effects, and chemical properties at the absolute extremes of the periodic table.

Year of Discovery: 1996

Copernicium does not occur naturally anywhere in the universe under any currently known or theoretically predicted physical conditions and can only be created artificially through extraordinarily complex and precisely controlled nuclear fusion reactions using the most advanced and powerful particle accelerator facilities available anywhere on Earth. The element is synthesized by bombarding extremely heavy target nuclei with carefully selected lighter projectile nuclei accelerated to tremendous and precisely controlled energies, typically using zinc-70 projectiles and lead-208 targets to create Copernicium-277 through meticulously controlled nuclear fusion processes requiring extraordinary precision. Production requires the most sophisticated and powerful heavy-ion accelerators in existence, capable of accelerating ions to exact energies while maintaining unprecedented accuracy in beam focusing, target positioning, timing synchronization, particle detection, and data acquisition systems operating at the limits of current technology. Even utilizing the most advanced accelerator technology available to modern science and operated by the most skilled scientific teams, only individual atoms of Copernicium can be produced over extended periods of intensive operation, and these atoms decay through complex radioactive processes within seconds to minutes of their creation. The most stable known isotope, Copernicium-285, has a half-life of approximately 28 seconds under laboratory conditions, while other known isotopes decay significantly more rapidly, some within milliseconds of their formation in the accelerator target chamber. The element's production is restricted to perhaps two or three specialized research facilities worldwide, including GSI in Germany and RIKEN in Japan, institutions possessing the extraordinary technological capabilities, expertise, and resources required for superheavy element synthesis research. The completely synthetic nature of Copernicium means it has absolutely no geological occurrence anywhere on Earth or other planetary bodies, no environmental presence whatsoever under any natural conditions, and no natural formation processes anywhere in the known universe under current physical laws and cosmic conditions. All Copernicium research must be conducted on individual atoms or extremely small numbers of atoms detected through their highly characteristic and unique radioactive decay signatures, requiring the most sensitive, sophisticated, and advanced detection equipment available to modern nuclear physics research. The total quantity of Copernicium ever created by humanity throughout the entire history of nuclear physics research would be far too minuscule to detect using any conventional measurement techniques, representing perhaps fewer than several dozen atoms produced over decades of intensive international research efforts involving the most advanced facilities and scientific expertise available.

⚠️ Caution: Copernicium is radioactive and requires special handling procedures. Only trained professionals should work with this element.

Copernicium presents the most extreme and comprehensive radiological hazards encountered in any area of nuclear physics research due to its intense radioactivity, short half-life characteristics, and the extraordinarily high-energy nuclear processes required for its production, detection, analysis, and study under controlled laboratory conditions. The primary safety concerns involve not the individual Copernicium atoms themselves, which exist in negligible quantities for extremely brief periods, but the incredibly intense, complex, and multi-faceted radiation fields generated during synthesis processes and the intricate cascade of highly radioactive decay products formed as the element undergoes successive radioactive transformations through multiple decay pathways. Personnel working in Copernicium research must utilize the most comprehensive, advanced, and sophisticated radiation monitoring systems available to modern nuclear science and follow the most stringent, detailed, and rigorously enforced safety protocols ever developed for nuclear physics research, specifically designed and continuously updated to minimize exposure to high-energy gamma radiation, neutron flux, alpha particles, beta radiation, and potential radioactive contamination from multiple sources. Research facilities must be equipped with multiple redundant layers of the most sophisticated and effective radiation shielding systems possible, incorporating carefully selected dense materials such as lead, tungsten, depleted uranium, borated polyethylene, and specialized neutron-absorbing composite materials to protect workers from the intense, multi-spectral, and complex radiation environment created during superheavy element research. The work environment requires continuous, real-time monitoring using multiple independent and redundant radiation detection systems with advanced automatic safety interlocks and emergency response capabilities that can instantaneously shut down all operations, isolate contaminated areas, and activate emergency protocols if radiation levels exceed any predetermined safety threshold or if any safety system indicates potentially
hazardous conditions.
All personnel must successfully complete extensive, comprehensive, and regularly updated specialized training programs covering advanced radiation safety principles, emergency response procedures, nuclear physics hazards, superheavy element-specific risks, facility-specific safety protocols, and the particular safety challenges associated with Copernicium research before being granted access to these highly restricted and carefully controlled facilities. The decay characteristics of Copernicium mean it undergoes radioactive decay through multiple complex pathways and mechanisms, creating an intricate and constantly changing mixture of highly radioactive daughter products with varying decay modes, radiation types, energy spectra, and half-lives, each requiring specific and carefully designed containment, monitoring, and safety procedures tailored to their individual hazard profiles.

Related Elements

30
Zn
Zinc
48
Cd
Cadmium
80
Hg
Mercury
87
Fr
Francium
88
Ra
Radium
89
Ac
Actinium
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