copernicium

[ koh-per-nis-ee-uhm ]

noun

, Chemistry, Physics.

1. a superheavy, synthetic, radioactive element with a very short half-life. : Cn; : 112.

copernicium

/ kō′pər-nē′sē-əm /

1. Symbol Cn A synthetic radioactive element that has only been produced in trace amounts. The most stable isotope has a mass number of 285 and a half-life of about 34 seconds. Atomic number 112.
2. See Periodic Table

Word History and Origins

Origin of copernicium¹

First recorded in 1005–10; named after Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus.

Example Sentences

Already, the longer half-lives of some isotopes of copernicium and flerovium offer “a first indication that this concept is correct, and that more long-lived isotopes just await discovery”, says Düllmann.

From Nature

Element 113 sits between copernicium and flerovium on the periodic table.

From US News

There are a few of those this time around: copernicium among them.

From Seattle Times

Dr. Renner recalled during the naming of element 112 — now known as copernicium — that an official from a school in New York called and said that students there thought it should instead be named after their school: P.S.

From New York Times

They are Darmstadtium, or Ds, which has 110 protons in its nucleus and was named after the town in which it was discovered; Roentgenium, or Rg, with 111 protons, named after the discoverer of X-rays Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen; and Copernicium, or Cn, which has 112 protons and is named after the Polish astronomer Copernicus, who disrupted the view that the Earth was the center of the universe.

From New York Times