Copernicium (Cn)
transition-metalExpected to be a Solid
Standard Atomic Weight
[285]Electron configuration
[Rn] 7s2 5f14 6d10(predicted)Melting point
N/ABoiling point
-165.15 °C (108 K)Density
1.400000e+4 kg/m³Oxidation states
+2, +4Electronegativity (Pauling)
N/AIonization energy (1st)
Discovery year
1996Atomic radius
147 pmDetails
Copernicium is a synthetic transactinide element in group 12, below zinc, cadmium, and mercury. It is known only from accelerator experiments that create individual atoms of short-lived isotopes. Relativistic effects are expected to make its chemistry unusually noble for a group 12 element, with weak metallic bonding and a comparatively volatile elemental state. Its confirmed properties are therefore mainly nuclear, while its chemical behavior remains partly experimental and partly theoretical.
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.
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.
Images
Properties
Physical
Chemical
Thermodynamic
N/A
Nuclear
Abundance
N/A
Reactivity
N/A
Crystal Structure
N/A
Electronic Structure
Identifiers
Electron Configuration Predicted
——Electron configuration data not available for this ion.
Atomic model
Isotopes change neutron count, mass, and stability — not the electron configuration of a neutral atom.
N/A
Schematic atomic model, not to scale.
Atomic Fingerprint
Emission / Absorption Spectrum
Isotope Distribution
No stable isotopes.
| Mass number | Atomic mass (u) | Natural abundance | Half-life |
|---|---|---|---|
| 277 Radioactive | 277.16364 ± 0.00015 | N/A | 790 us |
| 281 Radioactive | 281.16975 ± 0.00042 | N/A | 180 ms |
| 284 Radioactive | 284.17416 ± 0.00091 | N/A | 102 ms |
| 276 Radioactive | 276.16141 ± 0.00064 | N/A | 100 us |
| 279 Radioactive | 279.16654 ± 0.0005 | N/A | 60 us |
Phase / State
Reason: 190.1 °C above boiling point (-165.15 °C)
Schematic, not to scale
Phase transition points
Density
At standard conditions
Estimated via ideal gas law at current T
Crystal structure data not available for solid phase
Isotopes (5)
| Mass number | Atomic mass (u) | Natural abundance | Half-life | Decay mode | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 277 Radioactive | 277.16364 ± 0.00015 | N/A | 790 us | α =100% | |
| 281 Radioactive | 281.16975 ± 0.00042 | N/A | 180 ms | α ≈100%SF ? | |
| 284 Radioactive | 284.17416 ± 0.00091 | N/A | 102 ms | SF =100% | |
| 276 Radioactive | 276.16141 ± 0.00064 | N/A | 100 us | α ?SF ? | |
| 279 Radioactive | 279.16654 ± 0.0005 | N/A | 60 us | α ?SF ? |
Extended Properties
Covalent Radii (Extended)
Numbering Scales
Polarizability & Dispersion
Oxidation State Categories
Advanced Reference Data
Isotope Decay Modes (23)
| Isotope | Mode | Intensity |
|---|---|---|
| 276 | A | — |
| 276 | SF | — |
| 277 | A | 100% |
| 278 | A | — |
| 278 | SF | — |
| 279 | A | — |
| 279 | SF | — |
| 280 | A | — |
| 280 | SF | — |
| 281 | A | 100% |
Additional Data
Estimated Crustal Abundance
The estimated element abundance in the earth's crust.
Not Applicable
References (1)
- [5] Copernicium https://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele112.html
Estimated Oceanic Abundance
The estimated element abundance in the earth's oceans.
Not Applicable
References (1)
- [5] Copernicium https://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele112.html
References
(8)
Data deposited in or computed by PubChem
The half-life and atomic mass data was provided by the Atomic Mass Data Center at the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Element data are cited from the Atomic weights of the elements (an IUPAC Technical Report). The IUPAC periodic table of elements can be found at https://iupac.org/what-we-do/periodic-table-of-elements/. Additional information can be found within IUPAC publication doi:10.1515/pac-2015-0703 Copyright © 2020 International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry.
The information are cited from Pure Appl. Chem. 2018; 90(12): 1833-2092, https://doi.org/10.1515/pac-2015-0703.
Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (Jefferson Lab) is one of 17 national laboratories funded by the U.S. Department of Energy. The lab's primary mission is to conduct basic research of the atom's nucleus using the lab's unique particle accelerator, known as the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF). For more information visit https://www.jlab.org/
The periodic table at the LANL (Los Alamos National Laboratory) contains basic element information together with the history, source, properties, use, handling and more. The provenance data may be found from the link under the source name.
The periodic table contains NIST's critically-evaluated data on atomic properties of the elements.
This section provides all form of data related to element Copernicium.