IUPAC has announced that the process of approving a name for the element of atomic number 112 has begun with the submission of a proposed name and symbol by the Gesselschaft für Schwerionenforschung (GSI). The GSI team was recently acknowledged as the discover of the new element, see Pure Appl. Chem., 2009, Vol. 81, No. 7, pp. 1331-1343 (DOI). The proposed name, copernicium, and symbol, Cp, will be reviewed by the IUPAC Inorganic Chemistry Division to determine its acceptability, and if it is considered to be necessary, seek its modification. Then, following discussion with the discoverers, IUPAC will issue a Provisional Recommendation. This Provisional Recommendation will be made available for Public Comment for five months. At the end of the Public Comment period, the Inorganic Chemistry Division will review the comments made and either again revise the Recommendation or recommend approval of the Recommendation by the IUPAC Council. After approval by the IUPAC Council, or its designate, the Recommendation of the name and symbol will be published in the IUPAC Journal, Pure and Applied Chemistry.
IUPAC recommendations 2002 entitled 'Naming of new elements'
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