Astatine was
first produced in 1940 by Dale R. Carson, K.R. MacKenzie and Emilio Segrè at the
University of California. They did this by bombarding an isotope of
Bismuth (209) with alpha
particles. The name astatine comes from the Greek word "astatos,"
which means "unstable."
Astatine
is extraordinarily rare, and it is believed that less 30 grams of it exist in
nature, in the crust of the Earth. It is produced when it is needed for
research, and to date, 0.00000005 grams
have been made.
Astatine
is a radioactive element that has actually never been viewed in its elemental
state. This is partially due to the fact that the mass is so large, it could be
seen by the naked human eye. The heat generated by its radioactivity would also
instantaneously vaporize astatine. For these reasons, astatine can only be
created in a nuclear reactor.
Other
than for research, one of the only known usages for Astatine is its potential
use for nuclear medicine
- primarily radiation therapy for cancer patients. It is believed that
astatine-211 would be a better choice than iodine-131 for treatments because it
does better at isolating the cancerous cells. There are contracting reports
though, and some research suggests that this isotope is more damaging than
iodine-131. Read more about this potential usage - here.
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