Strontium facts for kids
Strontium is a chemical element. It has the chemical symbol Sr. Its atomic number is 38. Strontium is a metal. It looks silver-white or yellow-silver. This metal is also quite soft.
Strontium belongs to a group of metals. These are called alkaline earth metals. Strontium is very reactive. This means it easily combines with other substances. When it touches air, it quickly turns yellow. Strontium is similar to calcium and barium. These elements are its neighbors on the periodic table.
You can find strontium naturally. It is in minerals like celestite and strontianite. A special type of strontium, called 90Sr, is radioactive. It has a half-life of about 29 years.
Strontium forms salts. These salts make a bright red flame when they burn. This makes them useful for different things.
How Strontium is Used
Strontium salts are used to make red colors. You can see these colors in fireworks. They are also used in flares. Flares help signal for help. For example, they can show where survivors or shipwrecks are located.
| Periodic table | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| H | He | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Li | Be | B | C | N | O | F | Ne | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Na | Mg | Al | Si | P | S | Cl | Ar | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| K | Ca | Sc | Ti | V | Cr | Mn | Fe | Co | Ni | Cu | Zn | Ga | Ge | As | Se | Br | Kr | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rb | Sr | Y | Zr | Nb | Mo | Tc | Ru | Rh | Pd | Ag | Cd | In | Sn | Sb | Te | I | Xe | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cs | Ba | La | Ce | Pr | Nd | Pm | Sm | Eu | Gd | Tb | Dy | Ho | Er | Tm | Yb | Lu | Hf | Ta | W | Re | Os | Ir | Pt | Au | Hg | Tl | Pb | Bi | Po | At | Rn | ||||||||||
| Fr | Ra | Ac | Th | Pa | U | Np | Pu | Am | Cm | Bk | Cf | Es | Fm | Md | No | Lr | Rf | Db | Sg | Bh | Hs | Mt | Ds | Rg | Cn | Uut | Fl | Uup | Lv | Uus | Uuo | ||||||||||
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Images for kids
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Oxidized dendritic strontium
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A CRT computer monitor front panel. This glass used to contain strontium and barium oxide.
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Strontium salts make the red colors in fireworks.
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RTGs from Soviet era lighthouses.
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A flame test for strontium.
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The mineral celestine (SrSO4).
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See also
In Spanish: Estroncio para niños
