Strontium (Sr)
"The Red Rocket, the hero who paints the night sky with a brilliant red glare."
A memorable persona to anchor Sr in your mind.
2.64
Grams per cm³
777
Celsius (°C)
249
Radius (pm)
Daily Life Link
Strontium is found in the bright red color in fireworks and emergency flares.
Discovery & History
Year Discovered
1790
Discovered By
Adair Crawford
Origin of Name
"Strontium is named after Strontian, a small town in Scotland."
Technical Properties
Atomic Mass
87.62 u
Standard State
solid
Boiling Point
1377°C
Electron Configuration
[Kr] 5s2
1st Ionization Energy
5.695 eV
Electron Affinity
N/A
Oxidation States
"Strontium is a soft, silvery-yellowish, reactive metal."
Did You Know?
The brilliant, intense red color of fireworks, flares, and emergency signals is produced by burning strontium compounds.
The radioactive isotope strontium-90 is a dangerous component of nuclear fallout because the body can absorb it into bones, mistaking it for calcium.
Strontium was discovered in minerals mined from a village in Scotland called Strontian, which is how the element got its name.
Some "glow-in-the-dark" paints and plastics use strontium aluminate, which absorbs light and then re-emits it slowly.