Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

chemical element 112. Copernicium is a synthetic radioactive element and a member of the transuranic group of elements. First synthesized in 1996 by scientists in Darmstadt, Ger., it was given the temporary name ununbium in accordance with chemical naming conventions before being renamed copernicium, after Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus.

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Element Properties
Symbol Cn
Atomic number 112
Atomic weight (285)
Group in periodic table IIb