🔹 Basic Information

• Element Name: Astatine
• Discovered By: Dale R. Corson, Kenneth Ross MacKenzie, Emilio Segrè
• Year of Discovery: 1940
• Category: Halogen (Group 17)
• Group: 17 (Halogens)
• State at Room Temperature: Solid (assumed, not directly observed in bulk) ⚙️

Astatine is an extremely rare, radioactive element that is part of the halogen family, like iodine and chlorine.

🔸 Chemical Properties

• Chemical Symbol: At
• Atomic Number: 85
• Atomic Mass: ~210 u (varies with isotope)
• Valency: -1, +1, +3, +5, +7
• Electronic Configuration: [Xe] 4f¹⁴ 5d¹⁰ 6s² 6p⁵

Astatine is chemically similar to iodine but is much more unstable and radioactive.

📘 Basic Things to Know

Only tiny traces of astatine exist naturally — it’s so rare that scientists have never seen a visible piece of it. Most of what we know is based on predictions and lab experiments.

🤔 Interesting Facts

• The name “astatine” comes from the Greek word “astatos”, meaning unstable ⚠️
• Astatine is the rarest naturally occurring element in Earth’s crust 🌍
• If you had enough astatine to see, it would vaporize from its own heat caused by radiation 💨🔥
• Its properties are not fully known due to how short-lived it is
• It is radioactive and toxic, so it’s handled only under strict lab conditions 🧪🛑

🔧 Common Uses

⚠️ Astatine has no everyday or commercial use because of its rarity and high radioactivity.

• Cancer Treatment Research: Astatine-211 is being studied for targeted alpha therapy (TAT) for cancer cells 🧬🩺
• Scientific Research: Used in experiments to understand radioactive halogens and atomic behavior 🔬
• Nuclear Medicine: Shows promise in treating thyroid and brain tumors, though it’s still experimental ⚕️

📚 Conclusion

Astatine is a mysterious and powerful element — rare, radioactive, and still being studied. For students, it shows how even elements we can’t easily see can hold huge potential in science and medicine! 🌠🔍