How is copernicium produced in a particle accelerator?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Periodic table — zinc group element Modern version of the periodic table of the elements (printable).

Copernicium is an artificially produced transuranium element with the atomic number 112. It is synthesized in a particle accelerator using a process known as "cold" or "soft" fusion.12

In this method, scientists bombard a heavy target nucleus—typically lead-208, which has a stable configuration of protons and neutrons—with medium-weight projectiles, such as zinc-70. Because the resulting compound nucleus has a relatively low excitation energy, it is more likely to remain intact by emitting only one or two neutrons, rather than undergoing prompt fission. This technique was notably used by researchers at the Institute for Heavy Ion Research (GSI) in Germany to first produce atoms of copernicium.12