Skip to main content
atomic number 85

atomic number 85

9.9
A very rare radioactive element that breaks down quickly and is called astatine
  • noun
  • /əˈtɑːmɪk ˈnʌmbər eɪ ˈfaɪv/
  • Specialized
translation icon : astato
  • The element with atomic number 85 is astatine.

Examples

  • Scientists have studied the decay of atomic number 85 to better understand radioactive processes.

  • Because it is highly unstable, atomic number 85 has no significant commercial uses.

  • The isotope with atomic number 85 is known as astatine, and it is extremely rare in nature.

  • Did you know that atomic number 85 is a halogen?

  • Due to its extreme rarity, atomic number 85 is primarily of interest to researchers in radioactivity.

  • Researchers discovered that atomic number 85 decays rapidly, making it hard to isolate in a laboratory.

  • The element identified as atomic number 85 is astatine, which has unique properties among halogens.

Synonyms

astatine
vsatomic number 85
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A very unstable radioactive element like iodine with atomic number 85

labels the same substance by its numeric position instead of by its name

Surface Forms

Morphology

atomic + number + 85

The meaning is directly composed from 'atomic' (relating to atoms) + 'number' + the numeral 85, so it refers to the element identified by atomic number 85. This is a technical but fully compositional label (cross-linguistically regular), so a B1 learner who knows the parts can infer it denotes the element astatine even if they lack deeper chemical detail.

Etymology

Atomic number 85 tells us which element has 85 protons in the center of its atoms. So it points to the element 'astatine', which is very rare and unstable.