Copernicium (Cn)

Isotopes of Copernicium 

Copernicium is an extremely radioactive synthetic element that can only be created in a laboratory. It was discovered in 1996 at Gesellschaft für Schwerionenforschung (GSI) (Center for Heavy Ion Research) in Darmstadt, Germany, by a team of scientists led by Sigurd Hofmann. The new element was produced by fusing a zinc atom with a lead atom. Temporarily labeled "ununbium" (un meaning "one" and bi meaning "two," referring to the element's atomic number, 112), copernicium officially received its permanent name — proposed in honor of scientist and astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus — on February 19, 2010, the 537th anniversary of Copernicus' birth.

In total, approximately 75 atoms of copernicium have been detected using various nuclear reactions. It has no stable or naturally-occurring isotopes, although several radioactive isotopes have been synthesized in the laboratory, either by fusing two atoms or by observing the decay of heavier elements. During reactions with gold, it has been shown to be an extremely volatile metal. The isotope Copernicium-283 was instrumental in the confirmation of the discoveries of the elements flerovium and livermorium.

Properties of Copernicium