Symbol

Br

Atomic Number

35

Atomic Mass

79.904

Family

Group 17 (Viia) Halogen Pronunciation

BRO-meen

Overview

Bromine is a member of the halogen family. Halogens are the elements that make up Group 17 (VIIA) of the periodic table. The periodic table is a chart that shows how elements are related to one another. The halogens are also known as the salt formers. Fluorine, chlorine, bromine, iodine, and astatine form salts when chemically combined with a metal.

Bromine was discovered, at almost the same time in 1826, by two men, German chemist Carl Lowig (1803-90) and French chemist Antoine-Jerome Balard (1802-76). While Balard announced his discovery first, Lowig had simply not completed his studies of the element when Balard made his announcement.

Nearly 90 percent of all bromine produced comes from the United States, Israel, or the United Kingdom. In 1996, about 450,000,000 kilograms (one billion pounds) of the element were produced worldwide. The largest single use...