Copernicium
[Rn] 5f¹⁴ 6d¹⁰ 7s² · 2 · 8 · 18 · 32 · 32 · 18 · 2
An element that calculations suggest may be a gas or a volatile liquid at room temperature — like mercury, only more so. The cause is relativity: copernicium's 7s electrons are so contracted that they barely take part in metallic bonding.
3D model
Bohr model: nucleus and electron shells from the real configuration. Valence electrons are highlighted.
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Atomic properties
- Atomic number
- 112
- Atomic mass
- 285 а.е.м. ≈
- Electron configuration
- [Rn] 5f¹⁴ 6d¹⁰ 7s²
- Electrons per shell
- 2 · 8 · 18 · 32 · 32 · 18 · 2
- Block
- d-block
- Group
- Zinc group
- Period
- 7
- Electronegativity (Pauling)
- no data
- Electronegativity (Allen)
- no data
- Atomic radius
- no data
- Covalent radius
- 122 pm
- Van der Waals radius
- no data
- Ionisation energy 1
- 1 155 kJ/mol ≈
- Electron affinity
- no data
- Common oxidation states
- +2
- Oxidation states
- +2
Physical properties
- State at 25 °C
- liquid
- Density
- 14 g/cm³ ≈
- Melting point
- 283 K · 9.9 °C ≈
- Boiling point
- 340 K · 66.9 °C ≈
- Speed of sound
- no data
Thermal properties
- Heat of fusion
- no data
- Heat of vaporisation
- no data
- Specific heat capacity
- no data
- Thermal conductivity
- no data
Mechanical properties
- Young's modulus
- no data
- Shear modulus
- no data
- Bulk modulus
- no data
- Poisson ratio
- no data
- Mohs hardness
- no data
- Brinell hardness
- no data
Electrical and magnetic properties
- Electrical resistivity
- no data
- Magnetic ordering
- no data
- Curie point
- no data
- Néel point
- no data
- Superconducting point
- no data
Crystal structure
- Crystal structure
- hexagonal close-packed (hcp) ≈
- Lattice constants
- no data
Abundance
- In the crust
- does not occur
- In the ocean
- does not occur
- In the universe
- does not occur
- In the human body
- does not occur
Isotopes
| Isotope | Abundance | Half-life | Decay mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| 285Cn | — | 28 s | α |
Copernicium-285, half-life about 28 seconds, is the longest-lived known isotope.
Discovery
- Year of discovery
- 1996
- Discovered by
- Sigurd Hofmann and colleagues
- Where
- Darmstadt, Germany
- Origin of the name
- after Nicolaus Copernicus
History
Hofmann and colleagues synthesised element 112 at GSI in 1996. The name honouring Nicolaus Copernicus was confirmed in 2010, on his birthday, 19 February.
Where it occurs
Absent from nature.
How it is produced
By nuclear fusion: lead-208 bombarded with zinc-70 ions. It is made one atom at a time.
Role in living things
No biological role.
Safety
Only single atoms are ever handled.
Uses
Fundamental research into relativistic effects in heavy atoms
Curiosities
- Experiments in 2007 showed copernicium sticks to gold less firmly than mercury does — that is, it is even more volatile.
- The name was confirmed on 19 February 2010, Copernicus's birthday.
- Copernicium may turn out to be the first gaseous metal of the d-block.
- Relativistic effects in copernicium are strong enough that classical chemistry no longer applies.