astatine

[as-tuh-teen, -tin]

noun Chemistry.

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

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British Dictionary definitions for astatine

astatine

noun

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for astatine

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

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′]

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.