What is Copernicium?
{{Infobox copernicium}} '''Copernicium''' (formerly Ununbium) is a [[chemical element]] in the [[Periodic Table]]. It is also named '''[[Mendeleev's predicted elements|eka]]-mercury'''. It has the symbol '''Cn'''. It has the [[atomic number]] 112. It is a [[transuranium element]]. [[File:Nikolaus Kopernikus.jpg|thumb|left|150px|[[Nicolaus Copernicus]]]] The element is named in honor of [[Nicolaus Copernicus]]. Using [[periodic trend]]s, people think that it will be a liquid metal like mercury. It is likely to be more [[volatility|volatile]] than [[mercury (element)|mercury]] however. == History == Copernicium was [[discovery of the chemical elements|first made]] on [[February 9]], [[1996]] at the [[Gesellschaft für Schwerionenforschung]] (GSI) in [[Darmstadt]], [[Germany]]. Copernicium was made by [[nuclear fusion]] of a [[zinc]] atom with a [[lead]] atom. The [[zinc]] nuclei was [[bombardment|bombarded]] on to a lead [[wikt:target|target]] in a machine named a heavy [[ion accelerator]]. The element was made in [[2000]] and [[2004]] at the [[Joint Institute for Nuclear Research]] in [[Russia]]. In May [[2006]] in the [[Joint Institute for Nuclear Research]] checked that it had been made using a different method. They identified the last atoms that were made from [[radioactive decay]] of copernicium. In February [[2010]] [[IUPAC]] officially approved the name copernicium and symbol Cn.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iupac.org/web/nt/2010-02-20_112_Copernicium|title=Element 112 is Named Copernicium|accessdate=2010-02-20|archive-date=2010-02-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100224054826/http://www.iupac.org/web/nt/2010-02-20_112_Copernicium|url-status=dead}}</ref> == References == {{reflist}} == Other websites == {{Commons|Copernicium}} * [http://www.webelements.com/webelements/elements/text/Cn/index.html WebElements.com - Copernicium] * [http://www.apsidium.com/elements/112.htm Apsidium - Copernicium] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070404045121/http://www.apsidium.com/elements/112