Element Facts
SYMBOL
Cn
ATOMIC NO.
112
ATOMIC WEIGHT
285
CATEGORY
Transition Metal
PERIOD
Period 7
GROUP
Group 12
Background
Copernicium was first synthesised in February 1996 at GSI Darmstadt by Sigurd Hofmann and colleagues, by bombarding lead-208 with zinc-70 ions. Named in 2010 after Nicolaus Copernicus, the Polish astronomer (1473–1543) who proposed the heliocentric model of the solar system, on the 537th anniversary of his birth. The naming was deliberate — 2010 was the 537th anniversary of Copernicus’s birth. Research suggests copernicium may be a gas at room temperature due to extreme relativistic effects making it more noble-gas-like than metallic.
Industrial Uses
Copernicium has no practical applications. A few dozen atoms have been produced in total. Theoretical chemistry research aims to determine whether copernicium’s properties match predictions from relativistic quantum mechanics, particularly whether it forms a gas or solid at room temperature.
Scrap Viability
Why QuickStop Metals doesn’t buy Copernicium:
Copernicium’s most stable isotope has a half-life of approximately 28 seconds. It exists only as individual atoms created in particle accelerators. No commercial application or scrap trade is possible.
What It's Worth
No commercial market. Cannot be produced in any weighable quantity.