Isotopes
| Isotope |
Half-life |
Decay mode |
Discovery year |
Reaction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 277Cn | 00000069 !0.69 ms | α | 1996 | 208Pb(70Zn,n) |
| 278Cn | 000010 !10? ms | α, SF ? | unknown | — |
| 279Cn | 0001 !0.1? s | α, SF ? | unknown | — |
| 280Cn | 001 !1? s | α, SF ? | unknown | — |
| 281Cn | 000097 !97 ms | α | 2010 | 285Fl(—,α) |
| 282Cn | 0000008 !0.8 ms | SF | 2004 | 238U(48Ca,4n) |
| 283Cn | 004 !4 s | α, SF | 2002 | 238U(48Ca,3n) |
| 283bCn ? | 300 !5 min ? | α | 1998 | 238U(48Ca,3n) |
| 284Cn | 000097 !97 ms | SF | 2002 | 288Fl(—,α) |
| 285Cn | 029 !29 s | α | 1999 | 289Fl(—,α) |
| 285bCn ? | 534 !8.9 min ? | α | 1999 | 289Fl(—,α) |
Copernicium has no stable or naturally-occurring isotopes. Several radioactive isotopes have been synthesized in the laboratory, either by fusing two atoms or by observing the decay of heavier elements. Six different isotopes have been reported with atomic masses from 281 to 285, and 277, two of which, copernicium-283 and copernicium-285, have known metastable states. Most of these decay predominantly through alpha decay, but some undergo spontaneous fission.
The isotope copernicium-283 was instrumental in the confirmation of the elements flerovium and livermorium.
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