Elements 85: Astatine
Astatine is counted among the Halogens because of its structure and hence place in the Periodic Table. It is however a very unstable element, as its half-life is only 8.3 hours. Despite its instability, it is a naturally occurring element, and an estimated 100 grams is thought to exist on the entire planet earth at any given time, but as each of these atoms is short living, the atoms of the 100 grams will be distrinuted widely. Astatine comes from the natural radioactive decay of the elements Uranium and Thorium, which each are more abundant than Astatine.
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