Facts about Strontium
Strontium titanate has a various applications in optics, strontium aluminate is used as a phosphorescent material, and strontium chloride may be added to toothpastes for people with sensitive teeth.
The metallic form of strontium can be prepared by electrolysis of melted strontium chloride mixed with potassium chloride.
Freshly prepared strontium has a bright silvery color, but on exposure to air it forms the yellow oxide.
Pure strontium is extremely reactive, and finely divided strontium burns spontaneously.
When finely powdered, however, the metal ignites spontaneously in air to produce both strontium oxide and strontium nitride.
Strontium (chemical symbol Sr, atomic number 38) is a soft, silvery white metallic element that occurs naturally in the minerals celestite and strontianite.
Classified as an alkaline earth metal, it reacts with water to produce the alkali strontium hydroxide.
Strontium normally does not react with nitrogen below 380 °C, and forms only the oxide at room temperature.
Three allotropes of strontium are known, with transition points at 235 and 540 °C.
Strontium occurs commonly in nature amd has been estimated to be the fifteenth most abundant element on Earth, averaging 0.034 percent of all igneous rock.
The element strontium itself was discovered in 1798, and metallic strontium was first isolated by Sir Humphry Davy in 1808, by the method of electrolysis.
On contact with water, strontium reacts to produce strontium hydroxide and hydrogen gas.
When burned, strontium salts produce an attractive red color, and they are therefore used in pyrotechnic displays and aerosol paints.
To prevent it from reacting with air or water, strontium should be stored under kerosene.
The properties of strontium are closest to those of calcium, and it can replace calcium in bone tissue.