Copernicium (Cn)
"Meet Copernicium, the 'Temporal Phantom'! This super-fast, elusive ghost of an element constantly shifts forms and vanishes in a blink, leaving scientists scrambling to catch even a fleeting glimpse."
A memorable persona to anchor Cn in your mind.
23.7
Grams per cm³
N/A
Celsius (°C)
N/A
Radius (pm)
Daily Life Link
Imagine trying to hold onto a whisper or catch smoke – that's how fleeting Copernicium is!
Discovery & History
Year Discovered
1996
Discovered By
GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research
Origin of Name
"Copernicium is named for the Renaissance scientist Nicolaus Copernicus"
Technical Properties
Atomic Mass
[285] u
Standard State
solid (expected)
Boiling Point
N/A
Electron Configuration
[Rn] 5f146d107s2
1st Ionization Energy
N/A
Electron Affinity
N/A
Oxidation States
"You'd never actually see Copernicium; it's a quantum whisper, a fleeting atomic phantom that decays almost instantly."
Did You Know?
Ghostly Discovery: Scientists *don't* find Copernicium naturally; they create it by smashing atomic nuclei together in giant particle accelerators!
Cosmic Name: It’s named after Nicolaus Copernicus, the brilliant astronomer who proposed that the Earth revolves around the Sun, forever changing our view of the universe.
Blink and You Miss It: Copernicium is *super* unstable. Its most stable isotope, Cn-285, has a half-life of only about 29 seconds – that’s less time than it takes to tie your shoes!
Heavyweight Champion: With an atomic number of 112, Copernicium is one of the heaviest elements ever created, packing 112 protons into its nucleus!