astatine

astatine [as-tuh-teen, -tin] Word Origin noun Chemistry.

1. a rare element of the halogen family. Symbol: At; atomic number: 85.

Origin of astatine 1945–50; Greek ástat(os) not steadfast, unstable (see astatic) + -ine2 British Dictionary definitions for astatine astatine noun

1. a radioactive element of the halogen series: a decay product of uranium and thorium that occurs naturally in minute amounts and is artificially produced by bombarding bismuth with alpha particles. Symbol: At; atomic no: 85; half-life of most stable isotope, 210 At: 8.1 hours; probable valency: 1,3,5, or 7; melting pt: 302°C; boiling pt: 337°C (est)

Word Origin for astatine C20: from Greek astatos unstable (see astatic) + -ine ² Word Origin and History for astatine n.

radioactive element, named 1947, from Greek astatos “unstable” (see astatic) + chemical suffix -ine (2). So called for its short half-life and lack of stable isotopes. “The element appears not to have a stable form and probably does not exist in nature” [Flood, “Origin of Chemical Names”].

astatine in Medicine astatine [ăs′tə-tēn′, -tĭn] n. Symbol At

1. A radioactive halogen element. Its longest lived isotope has a mass number of 210 and a half-life of 8.1 hours. Atomic number 85.

astatine in Science astatine [ăs′tə-tēn′] At

1. A highly unstable, rare, radioactive element that is the heaviest of the halogen elements. Its most stable isotope has a half-life of 8.3 hours. Atomic number 85; melting point 302°C; boiling point 337°C; valence probably 1, 3, 5, 7. See Periodic Table.