Is Astatine a Metal, Nonmetal or Metalloid?
Astatine (At) is a nonmetal (a halogen) — a halogen — a nonmetal of group 17 with seven valence electrons, just one short of a full shell, making it a fierce electron-taker. It sits in group 17, period 6, and is a solid at room temperature.
This is the fast lane: one page, one fact, zero digressions. Read the quick answer, check the table, and if your exam needs the full derivation, the sections below walk through it step by step — in Bangla and English, like every page here. Need the whole picture instead — history, characteristics, uses, exam questions? The full Astatine page is one click away.
The one-line answer, with reasons
Astatine is a nonmetal (a halogen). Chemists decide by behaviour, not appearance: metals (unlike Astatine) give up electrons, shine when freshly cut, and conduct heat and electricity; nonmetals take or share electrons and (as solids) break rather than bend. Astatine follows the nonmetal playbook — placed in the halogen family of the table.
Astatine's metal/nonmetal report card
| Property | Value | Typical of |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Halogen | — |
| Phase at room temp | solid | varies |
| Block | p-block | — |
| Group | 17 | — |
| Period | 6 | — |
The family it belongs to
The whole halogen family shares one seating area of the table, and every member's family ID card is one click away — compare Astatine with its upstairs or downstairs neighbour and the family pattern jumps out.
Students also ask
Is Astatine a good conductor of electricity?
No — Astatine is a nonmetal and does not conduct the way metals do.
Can a gas be a nonmetal — like Astatine?
Yes — being a metal or nonmetal is about bonding and electron behaviour, not state. At room temperature Astatine is a solid, and that says nothing against its nonmetallic character.