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How do the atomic numbers of zinc, cadmium, mercury, and copernicium compare?
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zinc group element
Modern version of the periodic table of the elements (printable).
The elements of the zinc group (Group 12 of the periodic table) exhibit a clear progression in their atomic numbers, which represent the number of protons in the nucleus of each element's atoms.
The atomic numbers for these four elements are as follows:
- Zinc (Zn): 3012
- Cadmium (Cd): 4832
- Mercury (Hg): 8024
- Copernicium (Cn): 11252
As members of the same group, these elements share certain chemical properties, though they also display significant differences. While zinc, cadmium, and mercury are naturally occurring metals, copernicium is a synthetic transuranium element that has only been produced in a particle accelerator.52