There’s a new heavy in town. Element 112, a “superheavy” element with an atomic mass of 278, has been officially named copernicium, the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry announced February 19. It is the heaviest named element to date.
NAMESAKE Element 112 in the periodic table has been officially named copernicium after scholar Nicolaus Copernicus (above), whose theory of a sun-centered universe kicked off the scientific revolution of the 16th and 17th centuries.
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