Atomica
85At[210]

Astatine

Halogens

Very reactive non-metals with seven outer electrons. They form salts with metals.

[Xe] 4f¹⁴ 5d¹⁰ 6s² 6p⁵

Atomic number
85
Atomic mass
[210]
Protons
85
Neutrons
125
Electrons
85
Shells
2, 8, 18, 32, 18, 7
State at 25 °C
Solid
Position
Group 17, period 6
Proton (+)Neutron (0)Electron (−)
Discovered byDale Corson, Kenneth MacKenzie and Emilio Segrè, 1940Emilio Segrè: 2 elements

Made by firing particles at bismuth. Its name comes from the Greek astatos, meaning unstable.

Did you know?

  • It is the rarest naturally occurring element: probably less than a gram exists in Earth's crust at any time.
  • No one has ever seen a visible piece of it.

Where it's found

  • Tiny traces from uranium decay

What it's used for

  • Research into targeted cancer therapy

Try it

There's no safe home experiment for Astatine. Explore it with the animated atom above instead.