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Question

Question: The radio active halogen is...

The radio active halogen is

A

Polonium

B

Chlorine

C

Radon

D

Astatine

Answer

Astatine

Explanation

Solution

  • Halogens: The halogen group (Group 17) consists of Fluorine (F), Chlorine (Cl), Bromine (Br), Iodine (I), Astatine (At), and Tennessine (Ts).
  • Radioactivity: An element is considered radioactive if all its isotopes are unstable and undergo radioactive decay.
  • Analyzing the options:
    • Polonium (Po): Polonium is a radioactive element, but it belongs to Group 16 (Chalcogens), not Group 17 (Halogens).
    • Chlorine (Cl): Chlorine is a halogen. Its common isotopes (35^{35}Cl and 37^{37}Cl) are stable. While it has radioactive isotopes (like 36^{36}Cl), it is not inherently radioactive in the way that all its isotopes are unstable.
    • Radon (Rn): Radon is a radioactive element, but it belongs to Group 18 (Noble Gases), not Group 17 (Halogens).
    • Astatine (At): Astatine is the heaviest naturally occurring halogen (Group 17). All known isotopes of Astatine are radioactive and have very short half-lives, making it the most radioactive halogen and the rarest naturally occurring element on Earth.

Therefore, Astatine is the radioactive halogen among the given options.