| Origin of Name |
From the Greek word astatos, meaning unstable |
| Date and Place of Discovery |
At the University of California in 1940 |
| Discovered by |
Dale R. Corson, K.
R. MacKenzie, Emilio Segrč |
| Common Compounds |
|
| Interesting facts |
- There is less than one ounce of astatine in the entire earth's crust and exists as a result
of uranium and thorium decay.
- Because it is scarce, it is mostly produced by bombarding bismuth
with alpha particles.
- Only about .05 micrograms of astatine have been produced so far.
- It was synthesized by Corson, MacKenzie and Segrč by bombarding
bismuth with alpha particles.
- It is highly reactive.
- It behaves like other halogens, especially like
iodine and may accumulate in the human
thyroid gland.
- It is more metallic than
iodine.
|
| Common Uses |
- There are no known uses for astatine.
|
