General Information about Astatine
| Symbol | At |
| Atomic Number | 85 |
| Atomic Mass | 209.9871g |
| Melting point | It is thought to be 575 K, but it is difficult to determine because it is such a rare element. |
| Boiling point | It is thought to be 610 K, but it is difficult to determine because it is such a rare element. |
| Density in natural state | Astatine is so rare that it has not been found in its natural state and no density has been determined. |
| Natural Abundance | Astatine is the rarest element on earth, there is thought to be only 25 grams of the element on earth. Therefore it has a natural abundance of 0% |
Astatine has an atomic number of 85; therefore, it has 85 protons and 85 electrons. Since Astatine has a mass of about 210 and there are 85 protons there has to be 125 neutrons.
www.chemicalelements.com/ elements/at.html
How to obtain Astatine
As said before, Astatine is one of the rarest elements on earth. It does not occur naturally, but it can be artificially made in particle accelerators. What a particle accelerator does is it make protons move very fast, which run into substances. When the proton and the substance collide something new is formed. This process is not very affective and no more then a millionth of a gram has ever been produced at one time.
A particle accelerator used to obtain astatine.
www.us.cbmm.com.br/.../ sources/uses/photo36.htm
Common Compounds
Astatine has never been found in a compound before because it is so rare. It is thought to be able to form compound with other halogens such as Iodine, Bromine, and Chlorine.
Chemical Properties pf Astatine
The chemical properties have not been fully discovered because whenever it is obtained there is only, at most, a few hours to do experiments. Scientists believe that it has similar properties to those of other elements in its group, the Halogens.
Uses of Astatine
Astatine has no uses today because of it rarity and radioactivity. It is thought to have similar properties as Iodine, used by the thyroid gland. It is thought that it can be used to treat goiters.