Copernicium, element 112, is a synthetic superheavy element named in honour of Nicolaus Copernicus, whose model of the solar system redefined our place in the universe. In a way, Copernicium does something similar for chemistry, it exists in a region of the periodic table where the known laws of atomic behaviour begin to stretch.
Positioned in group 12, below mercury, Copernicium might be expected to behave like a volatile metal. But predictions suggest that relativistic effects may make it far less metallic than its lighter counterparts. It may be a gas under standard conditions, or it may exhibit properties unlike any other element we have studied directly.
Produced in particle accelerators and lasting only milliseconds, Copernicium cannot be observed in bulk. Yet in those brief moments, it gives us clues about how matter behaves at the farthest reaches of the periodic table.
Read key information and facts about element Copernicium
| Name | Copernicium |
| Atomic Number | 112 |
| Atomic Symbol | Cn |
| Atomic Weight | 285 |
| Phase | Solid |
| Color | – |
| Appearance | – |
| Classification | Transition Metal |
| Group in Periodic Table | 12 |
| Group Name | zinc family |
| Period in Periodic Table | period 7 |
| Block in Periodic Table | d -block |
| Electronic Configuration | [Rn] 5f14 6d10 7s2 |
| Electronic Shell Structure (Electrons per shell) | 2, 8, 18, 32, 32, 18, 2 |
| Melting Point | – |
| Boiling Point | – |
| CAS Number | CAS54084-26-3 |