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astatine

Primary Information
Secondary Information

Definition

Astatine is a chemical element with the symbol At and atomic number 85. It is the rarest naturally occurring element on Earth, with an estimated abundance of 100 grams in the Earth's crust. Astatine is a radioactive element, and it has a half-life of only 8.1 hours. This means that half of the atoms of astatine will decay into other elements in 8.1 hours.

Astatine is a volatile element, and it exists as a gas at room temperature. It is a highly reactive element, and it combines with other elements to form a variety of compounds. Astatine is also a very toxic element, and it can be fatal if inhaled or ingested.

Astatine has no known practical applications. It is too rare and too radioactive to be used in any commercial products. However, astatine has been used in scientific research to study the properties of radioactive elements.

How can the word be used?

The scientist studied the astatine isotopes.

astatine

Different forms of the word

Noun: astatine (plural: astatines).

Adjective: astatinic.

Adverb: astatinically.

Verb: astatinise (to make something astatinic).

Gerund: astatinising.

Participle: astatinised.

Etymology

The word "astatine" comes from the Greek word ἄστατος (astatos), which means "unstable." This is because astatine is the most radioactive element on the periodic table, with a half-life of only 8.1 hours. The name was chosen by the scientists who discovered astatine in 1940, Dale R. Corson, Kenneth Ross MacKenzie, and Emilio G. Segrè.

Question

What can astatine be used for?

AQA Science Exam Question and Answer

Question:

What is astatine, and what are its key properties and characteristics as an element?

Answer:

Astatine is a chemical element with the symbol At and atomic number 85. It is a halogen, belonging to Group 17 of the Periodic Table. Astatine is a highly radioactive element, and its isotopes have short half-lives, making it one of the rarest and least studied elements. Due to its scarcity and radioactivity, astatine's chemical properties and behaviour are challenging to investigate. Nevertheless, it exhibits similar chemical characteristics to other halogens, such as iodine and bromine, and can form compounds with other elements, particularly metals.