Sunday, October 11, 2009

Element 112 copernicium to have symbol Cn

The proposed symbol for element 112 is now Cn, instead of Cp as originally proposed. The proposed name is still copernicium, but the IUPAC (International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry) has rejected Cp. The main reason is that element 71, now called lutetium, had an alternative name of cassiopeium and symbol Cp prior to 1949.