Astatine

NAME:  from the Greek word "astatos" meaning unstable

DISCOVERY:  synthesized by bombarding Bismuth with alpha particles in 1940 by D.R. Corson, K. R. MacKenzie, and Emilio Segre

DESCRIPTION:   Astatine is metallic in color. The longest lived isotope of astatine has a half-life of only 8.3 hours.   There are  only 20 isotopes, and astatine is radioactive.

SOURCE:  man-made

USES:  sometimes used as a radioactive tracer

BIOLOGICAL ROLE:   Astatine is thought to accumulate in the thyroid gland like iodine, but this is probable.   Some doctors believe if it behaves like iodine, astatine can be taken into the body and maybe used to kill cancer.   However, not much information is known on astatine's role in the body.

ATOMIC SYMBOL: At

ATOMIC NUMBER:  85

ATOMIC MASS:  210

MELTING POINT:  302.0 degrees Celsius

BOILING POINT:  337.0 degrees Celsius

# OF NEUTRONS:  125

CRYSTAL STRUCTURE:  unknown

DENSITY:  unknown