Copernicium is a synthetic chemical element named after astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus.
Core Principles & Analysis
Copernicium was first made in 1996 at GSI by Hofmann's team via fusion of zinc-70 with lead-208, with just one confirmed atom in the initial experiment.
The name honors astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus and was announced on 19 February 2010, the anniversary of his birth in 1473.
Adsorption experiments on gold surfaces show copernicium is extraordinarily volatile, behaving like mercury but verging on noble-gas character; relativistic effects may leave it liquid or gaseous near room temperature.