Discovery Information
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Who: GSI |
When: 1996 |
Where: GSI, Darmstadt, Germany |
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Name Origin
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Named after Nicolaus Copernicus. |
"Copernicium" in different languages. |
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Sources
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Element 112 was discovered on 9th February 1996 at 22:37 at the GSI in Darmstadt, Germany. |
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Uses
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None. |
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History
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Copernicium was first created on February 9, 1996 at the Gesellschaft für Schwerionenforschung (GSI) in Darmstadt, Germany. This element was created by fusing a zinc atom with a lead atom by accelerating zinc nuclei into a lead target in a heavy ion accelerator.
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Previously known as Ununbium (Uub). |
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Notes
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As only a few atoms of element 112 have ever been made (through a nuclear reaction involving fusing a zinc atom with a lead atom) isolation of an observable quantity has never been achieved, and may well never be. This is because atoms of the element
decompose through the emission of a-particles with a half life of only about 240 microseconds.
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