Friday 17 July 2009

Nicolaus Copernicus



A name for the element 112 of the Periodic Table has been proposed by its discoverer Sigurd Hofmann (and his research group). The name still needs formal approval by the IUPAC (International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry), but the choice has fallen on Copernicium, with element symbol "Cp". The name honours Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus who proposed a planetary model (the Copernican Model) where planets revolved around the Sun, and who was a staunch opponent of the Aristotelian belief that the Earth was the centre of the Universe.

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