🔹 Basic Information

• Element Name: Copernicium
• Discovered By: GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research, Darmstadt, Germany 🇩🇪
• Year of Discovery: 1996 (officially named in 2010)
• Category: Transition Metal / Superheavy Element
• Group: 12 (same group as zinc, cadmium, mercury)
• State at Room Temperature: Unknown (predicted to be gas or volatile liquid) ❓

Copernicium is a synthetic, radioactive element that does not exist in nature and is created only in laboratories.

🔸 Chemical Properties

• Chemical Symbol: Cn
• Atomic Number: 112
• Atomic Mass: ~285 u (most stable isotope)
• Valency: Predicted: +2
• Electronic Configuration: [Rn] 5f¹⁴ 6d¹⁰ 7s² (predicted)

Though it’s in the same group as mercury, Copernicium might act very differently due to its superheavy atomic structure.

📘 Basic Things to Know

Copernicium is named after Nicolaus Copernicus, the famous astronomer who proposed that the Earth orbits the Sun 🌍☀️ — a tribute to revolutionary thinking in science!

🤔 Interesting Facts

• It was created by bombarding lead (Pb) with zinc (Zn) in a particle accelerator 💥
• It is highly unstable, lasting only milliseconds before breaking apart ⏱️
• It may be a gas or very volatile liquid, which is unusual for metals
• Named in honor of Copernicus to reflect discovery and innovation in science 🌠
• Due to relativistic effects, its properties don’t follow normal group 12 trends

🔧 Common Uses

⚠️ Copernicium has no practical or everyday uses because of its instability and extreme rarity.

• Scientific Research: Used to study superheavy elements and nuclear decay 🔬
• Atomic Physics: Helps scientists explore how the heaviest atoms behave
• Honoring Science History: Celebrates one of history’s most influential thinkers 📚

📚 Conclusion

Copernicium is a rare, short-lived superheavy element with a name that honors scientific revolution. For students, it’s a symbol of how chemistry, physics, and astronomy all connect, and how discovery never stops! 🌍🔭🧪