Copernicium was produced in accelerator experiments involving zinc and lead nuclei. Other isotopes have appeared in decay sequences of heavier elements. This radioactive research element illustrates why periodic position and theoretical expectations need to be distinguished from experimentally established properties of the atoms studied.
FROM ELEMENT TO APPLICATION
AN ELEMENT IN CONTEXT
How can a copernicium atom’s interaction with gold test chemical expectations?
Copernicium atoms in adsorption experiments
FOLLOW THIS RELATIONSHIP
Distinguish atom and surface
The experiment concerns individual copernicium atoms interacting with a gold surface. The gold is part of the measurement environment, rather than evidence that copernicium is itself a gold-like bulk material.
Explore the model (optional)
CnFORM → INTERACTION → CONSEQUENCE
Follow the explanation in either direction. These are authored steps, not a physical clock.
Optional: check your understanding
USE THE EXPLANATION
Which conclusion stays within the measurement’s scope?
Atomic identity, reference properties and structure models
INTERACTIVE 3D112 visible sites
An electron censusDrag to rotate · scroll or pinch to zoom
[Rn] 5f14 6d10 7s2. Grouping electrons by principal shell connects the neutral-atom configuration to periodic-table patterns.
What this representation means
A three-dimensional counting diagram. Dots are count markers, not measured electron positions; spherical placement and spacing are arbitrary. There are no electron trajectories here. Orbitals describe quantum states.
For superheavy elements, this configuration is a theoretical assignment. It does not establish measured bulk chemistry or a material state.
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HISTORY & HUMAN DISCOVERY
Copernicus honored at the heavy edge of the table
Copernicium was first identified at GSI in 1996. Its name, approved in 2010, honors Nicolaus Copernicus and the change in astronomical perspective associated with his work. Between those milestones, chemical experiments investigated individual atoms interacting with gold surfaces. The element therefore offers more than a discovery date: it is a case where carefully designed surface measurements can test electronic predictions even when no ordinary bulk sample exists.
Copernicium is produced in nuclear-reaction experiments or appears as a daughter of heavier . It has no established natural material resource and is observed only in extremely small numbers of atoms. Chemical experiments must associate an atom’s location with its , linking surface behavior to an independently recognizable nuclear signature.
The neutral configuration is predicted, while experiments provide actual evidence about copernicium interacting with gold. Its placement in group 12 invites comparison with mercury, but does not establish a measured liquid state or boiling point for bulk copernicium. Atomic surface behavior and a macroscopic are different kinds of evidence.
Each section links its supporting references. Descriptions and diagrams were authored for this atlas. Source checks completed. Source checks dated 2026-09-06.
CITE THIS PAGE
Family labels and the group-3 layout are teaching conventions. A table position does not establish an unknown bulk property. Electronic configurations refer to neutral atoms; ions and material environments require their own account.
Read each reference property together with its units, conditions and the reference information below.
Not yet recorded: electron affinity, second ionization energy, ground-state term symbol, van der waals radius, thermal conductivity, specific heat capacity, electrical resistivity, crystal structure, lattice parameter a, space group, abundance in seawater, abundance in the universe, annual production, supply-risk listing, hazard classification, biological role, cas registry number, pubchem cid, wikidata item. These families are declared and awaiting an ingestion run against the source each names; they are listed here rather than shown as empty rows.
Physical
Intended reference: CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics · CRC Press
Phase at 20 °C
Not recorded
293.15 K, 101.325 kPa
Melting point
Not recorded
at standard pressure unless noted
Boiling point
Not recorded
101.325 kPa
Density
Not recorded
solids and liquids at 293 K; gases at 273 K and 101.325 kPa
Atomic and electronic
Intended reference: Pauling electronegativity scale · Widely tabulated; original in The Nature of the Chemical Bond
Electronegativity
Not recorded
Pauling scale
First ionization energy
Not recorded
gas-phase neutral atom, ground state
Covalent radius
Not recorded
single-bond covalent radius
Common oxidation states
Not recorded
states met in ordinary compounds; not exhaustive
Occurrence and identity
Intended reference: CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics · CRC Press
Abundance in the crust
Not recorded
upper continental crust, mass fraction
Has stable isotopes
Noderived
Discovery year in CE
1996 CEderived
WHERE IT SITS AMONG ITS NEIGHBORS
Electronegativity across period 7
Ra 0.9 Pauling · Radium
Electronegativity across period 7. Exact values.
Ra
0.9
Ac
1.1
Th
1.3
Pa
1.5
U
1.38
Np
1.36
Pu
1.28
Am
1.13
Cm
1.28
Bk
1.3
Cf
1.3
Es
1.3
Fm
1.3
Md
1.3
No
1.3
Lr
1.3
Electronegativity down group 12
Zn 1.65 Pauling · Zinc
Electronegativity down group 12. Exact values.
Zn
1.65
Cd
1.69
Hg
2
The trend uses the same reference-property values as the periodic table. Elements with no recorded value are left out of the line rather than drawn at zero.
