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Copernicium Confirmed As Element 112
Several sources are reporting that the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry has confirmed Copernicium as element 112 on the periodic table of elements with the symbol Cn. "The naming of the new element will be the culmination of a long, fraught journey involving fierce competition, dashed hopes, clever detective work and even a brush with scientific misconduct. With a nucleus containing 112 protons — 20 more than uranium, the heaviest of the naturally occurring elements — it will be the weightiest atom whose existence has been confirmed so far."
Now there will never be a chinesium (although i guess we could re-name lead).
<troll/>
What about ununbium?
Uranium was seen at a local club with Copernicium, probably to make her feel better about herself.
Minor quibble... it's the heavies of the naturally occurring elements on Earth. Heaver elements usually require different conditions (higher energy levels, gravity differences, etc) that can be found on earth. But there's nothing to say they can't be found elsewhere...
If a man isn't willing to take some risk for his opinions, either his opinions are no good or he's no good
So what I don't understand is if this particle would ever naturally occur? During the big bang? In a supernova? And if not then why continue to spend money and time on the task of building bigger and bigger particles? What use will they be if only to exist for a fraction of a second?
Namaste
I think there was a commercial on QVC last night for some jewelry made of this stuff.
Fibonaccium
My breathless wait is over.
Please do not read this sig. Thank you.
We are slowly getting there: http://memory-beta.wikia.com/wiki/Periodic_table
When I first heard "Beryllium" I got rather excited ... it sounded "beer-ilicious indeed!" ... until I saw how it was spelled and thought "damn, that even looks like it will taste bad".
It will be used for "copernicium plumbing" - plumbing that is too heavy to steal from a construction site.
Element names are used to honour people and places for all sorts of reasons, and Copernicus clearly deserves it.
Röntgen's contributions were not exactly nuclear physics either, and Alfred Nobel wasn't even a physicist (neither was Vasili Samarsky-Bykhovets).
# cat
Damn, my RAM is full of llamas.
Copernicus is widely credited as being a key figure in the birth of the scientific revolution. Which lead to nuclear physics, among other things.
- None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
...remind me again, what did Copernicus do that was related to nuclear physics?
Dude, he only invented Newton ... and we all know Newton invented gravity and cool PDA's. This is /., try to keep up ;-)
He collaborated on the same work in nuclear physics that Alfred Nobel is known for.
Honestly, the parent does have a point though- other than nobelium and copernicium, there seems to be a clear trend from americium (#95) onward to name elements either for their place of discovery or after important nuclear scientists. Although, you could make the case that Einstein was not primarily a nuclear physicist, and the nucleus wasn't even known when Mendeleev drew up his table, they had made important contributions to the understanding of atoms. Copernicus is certainly deserving of the honor, and there's nothing to forbid it in terms of the IUPAC rules- I just think it's interesting that a 300-year gap exists between Copernicus and the next scientist so honored. Next up: newtonium?
"FDA staff reviewers expressed concern about the number of patients who were left out of the study because they died."
Since plutonium, element 93, is found in uranium ores (being bred there by neutron capture) and Pu-244 (half-life 80.8 million years) has also survived in detectable quantities from the formation of the Earth, uranium is not the heaviest natural element on Earth.
Starships were meant to fly, Hands up and touch the sky - Nicky Minaj
He did kinda start the whole scientific revolution thingy. That might have a little to do with nuclear physics.
"I'm not a quack, I'm a mad scientist! There's a difference." - Dr. Cockroach
Minor nit, but IIRC, plutonium is element 94. Neptunium is 93.
Slow down, cowboy! It has been 4 hours since you last posted. You must wait another few hours.
It will in a Beowulf cluster.
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ECHELON is a government program to find words like bomb, jihad, plutonium, assassinate, and anarchy.
...'delicious' or 'snacktackular'?
Nitpick, Pu is element 94.
The element's discoverer was, quite understandably, crushed by his lack of recognition.
http://www.smbc-comics.com/index.php?db=comics&id=1621
Reminds me of this flash fiction by Mike Swanwick. :D
Comment removed based on user account deletion
copernicus was named after copper (dad was a copper smith or something) so this makes two elements named after copper. not very original.
"these are the only ones of which the news has come to Harvard, and there may be many others but they haven't been discovered"
The element of surprise?
Naming, yes. The summary is badly informed! The synthesis of element 112 has been confirmed for quite a while. The only story here is that IUPAC has officially endorsed a name for it.
Right! The name of the country is Merika.
Pu-244 does not have 244 protons, it still only has 94 protons.
The article was speaking of base atomic weight, they certainly weren't suggesting heavier isotopes did not exist. They were talking about the element itself, not its potential isotope. The element Plutonium has an atomic weight of about 188, Coppernicium has an atomic weight of about 224. Coppernicium is the heavier element. If you'll read more carefully, they are careful to refer to proton count so nit-pickers like you can understand their meaning.
It's like someone says "The Honda Acura weigh 3,000 pounds, and the Toyota Corolla is heavier at 3,500 pounds", and you come out and say "Nuh uh! My dad's got an Acura that weighs 6,000 pounds! It's got a ton and a half of lead in the trunk!" It doesn't really mean you're right, even though there are Acuras that weigh more than Corollas.
Security is mostly a superstition... Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. - Helen Keller
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Nuclear Chemistry Feed @ Feed Distiller
Since plutonium, element 93, is found in uranium ores (being bred there by neutron capture) and Pu-244 (half-life 80.8 million years)
Holy cr*p, dewd. 80 million years, that's a long time.
So, if they ever discover an element with a negative half-life, will they call it Banach-Tarskium?
How about a better heading? They chose this name in July of 2009 ! What's new?
If Google really cared they would fix Android Chrome to reflow text, instead of discriminating
Uranium Density = 19.05 g/cc
Osmium Density = 22.59 g/cc Lanthanide contraction
Iridium Density = 22.56 g/cc
Naturally occurring mineral : Chengdeite : Ir3Fe (an Alloy) Density = 19.3 g/cc
Though Elemental Platinum also occurs in nature and has a density = 21.09
We need a better wording than heavy for most protons in nucleus. How about uranium, the most protonic naturally occurring element.
or computer player
Scientific misconduct, eh? I've known all along these so-called physicists are making up these elements for fame and fortune. As long as they keep claiming to find elements they'll keep getting grant money and be rolling in dough!
What a fool believes, he sees, no wise man has the power to reason away.
Does this mean that I'll have to buy a new periodic table? I bet it's a scam by the people who make periodic them!
Nucleus is to Sun
as
Electron cloud is to Planet
So, to nitpick, since transuranics use the actual form of scientist's names, it should really be Kupfernigkium, Kf.
(Otherwise, Einsteinium would have to be Unopetrium.)
From scarped cliff or quarried stone she cries "A thousand types are gone, I care for nothing, no not one."
When element 419 is created can we name it Nigerium?
KOP-er-NEEK-ium? I don't even know what the rules are on this sort of thing.
Athy, athier, athiest.
That's some jewelry, with 50% of it disappearing every 9 minutes.