Environment

New Element Named 'Copernicium' - Element 112 Gets A Name

by Samir Joshi | July 17, 2009 at 03:06 am

2926 views | 76 Recommendations | 13 comments

Finally the wait is over. A long wait indeed. It was 13 years ago that Element 112 of the Periodic Table was discovered. However, it has been given a name as of now.

The new element has been named 'Copernicium', in memory of the famous astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus. Copernicus was the man who stated that it was Sun around which the planets revolve and not the Earth. He even refused to accept the notion that Earth was the center of the universe.

Element 112 - Dedicated to Nicolaus Copernicus.

Discovered 13 years ago, and officially added to the periodic table just weeks ago, element 112 finally has a name.

It will be called "copernicium", with the symbol Cp, in honour of the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus.

Copernicus deduced that the planets revolved around the Sun, and finally refuted the belief that the Earth was the centre of the Universe.

The team of scientists who discovered the element chose the name to honour the man who "changed our world view".

The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) will officially endorse the new element's name in six months' time in order to give the scientific community "time to discuss the suggestion".

Scientists from the Centre for Heavy Ion Research in Germany, led by Professor Sigurd Hofmann, discovered copernicium in fusion experiments in 1996.

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Samir Joshi

at 04:13 on July 17th, 2009

That is a wonderful piece of information Sara!

Thanks a lot! :)

Uwe Paschen

at 05:09 on July 17th, 2009

That is great news, I had may have to order a new element chart soon since I have not updated my since 1992 and we had two addition since then.

Amy Judd

at 09:26 on July 17th, 2009

wow, 13 years. Why did it take so long?

Jarrett Martineau

at 09:38 on July 17th, 2009

NowPublic has previous coverage of this story New 112th Element Added to Periodic Table

enlargetom

at 09:50 on July 17th, 2009

Thanks for promoting
Copernicium

Samir Joshi

at 09:55 on July 17th, 2009

Thanks for the added info Jarrett! :)

Free Stuff (not verified)

at 10:41 on July 17th, 2009

Is there some criteria which defines the minimal half-life of the result of particle collision necessary to be accepted as a new element? Surely at the instantaneous moment of collision, any two particles could be assumed to be 'one new element'. I guess there might be a need to define how 'long' is 'long enough'.. .Otherwise, our periodic tables will come to encircle entire school buildings !

158

at 12:50 on July 17th, 2009

Interesting name for the new element.

Paul Single (not verified)

at 01:26 on July 31st, 2009

I'm devastated, I hoped my suggestested name of "Fibonaccium" would be selected, honouring "Fibonacci" his famous sequence was 0,1,1,2,3,5,8,13,21,54 etc.

o well

Paul