Strontium (Sr) – Periodic Table [Element Information & More]

Strontium element (Sr) is in group 2 and period 5 of a periodic table. Strontium is in the s-block and it is classified as an alkaline earth metal on the periodic table.

There is a lot more information related to strontium which is mentioned in the Information Table given below.

So let’s dive right into it!

Table of contents

• Strontium element (Information Table)
• Strontium element in Periodic table
• Facts about Strontium
• Properties of Strontium
• Uses of Strontium

Strontium Element (Information Table)

The important data related to strontium element is given in the table below.

Appearance of strontium	Silvery surface with yellow tint
Atomic number of strontium	38
Symbol of strontium	Sr
Atomic mass of strontium	87.62 u
Protons, Neutrons & Electrons in strontium	Protons: 38, Neutrons: 50, Electrons: 38
State of strontium (at STP)	Solid
Group number of strontium in periodic table	2
Period number of strontium in periodic table	5
Block of strontium in periodic table	s-block
Category of strontium	Alkaline earth metals
Bohr model or Electrons per shell or Electrons arrangement in strontium	2, 8, 18, 8, 2
Electron configuration of strontium	[Kr] 5s2
Orbital diagram of strontium
Valence electrons in strontium	2
Electronegativity of strontium (on pauling scale)	0.95
Atomic radius of strontium (van der Waals radius)	249 picometers
Density of strontium	2.63 g/cm3
1st ionization energy of strontium	5.695 eV
Main isotope of strontium	88Sr
Melting point of strontium	1050 K or 777 °C or 1431 °F
Boiling point of strontium	1650 K or 1377 °C or 2511 °F
Crystal structure of strontium	Face Centered Cubic (FCC)
Discovery of strontium	By William Cruickshank in 1787

Also see: Interactive Periodic Table (It has rotating bohr models as well as many other details of all the 118 elements in a single periodic table).

Strontium element in Periodic table

The Strontium element (Sr) has the atomic number 38 and is located in group 2 and period 5. Strontium is in solid state at STP and it is classified as an alkaline earth metal on the periodic table.

Click on above elements in the periodic table to see their information.

Facts about strontium

Here are a few interesting facts about the strontium element.

1. Strontium is the 15^th most abundant element present in the earth’s crust.
2. The concentration of strontium in the earth’s crust is around 360 ppm.
3. Around 3 lakh tons of strontium is produced annually in the entire world.
4. Strontium is a reactive metal and hence it is kept in the mineral oil or kerosene.
5. Strontianite and Celestite are the two ores from which most of the strontium is obtained.
6. The leading producers of strontium are China and Spain.

Properties of strontium

Here is a list of some physical properties and chemical properties of strontium.

Physical properties of strontium

• Strontium is a soft metal and it has a silvery surface with a yellowish tint.
• Strontium has an atomic mass 87.62 u and its density is 2.63 g/cm³.
• Strontium has stable isotopes as well as radioactive isotopes, and out of these isotopes, the most abundant isotope is ⁸⁸Sr (which has an abundance of 82.5%).
• The melting point and boiling point of strontium is 1050 K and 1650 K respectively.

Chemical properties of strontium

• Strontium is reactive metal and hence it is always found as a compound with other elements in the earth’s crust.
• Strontium burns in the air with a bright red flame.
• Strontium reacts with water to form strontium hydroxide and liberates hydrogen gas.

Uses of strontium

Here are some uses of the strontium element.

• Strontium is used in flares as well as fireworks because it burns with a bright red flame.
• Strontium titanate is used in gemstones as it has a high refractive index.
• Strontium chloride hexahydrate is used in toothpaste for sensitive teeth.
• The radioactive isotope of strontium (⁸⁹Sr) is used in treating bone cancer.
• Strontium aluminate is used in toys that glow in dark (because it has a property to glow in dark).

External resources:

1. Strontium – Wikipedia. (2022, December 7). Strontium – Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strontium
2. Periodic Table of Elements: Los Alamos National Laboratory. (n.d.). Periodic Table of Elements: Los Alamos National Laboratory. https://periodic.lanl.gov/38.shtml
3. Atomic Data for Strontium (Sr). (n.d.). Atomic Data for Strontium (Sr). https://physics.nist.gov/PhysRefData/Handbook/Tables/strontiumtable1.htm
4. Sansonetti, J. E., & Martin, W. C. (2005, December). Handbook of Basic Atomic Spectroscopic Data. Journal of Physical and Chemical Reference Data, 34(4), 1559–2259. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1800011
5. Bondi, A. (1964, March). van der Waals Volumes and Radii. The Journal of Physical Chemistry, 68(3), 441–451. https://doi.org/10.1021/j100785a001
6. Holden, et al. (2018, December 1). IUPAC Periodic Table of the Elements and Isotopes (IPTEI) for the Education Community (IUPAC Technical Report). Pure and Applied Chemistry, 90(12), 1833–2092. https://doi.org/10.1515/pac-2015-0703
7. Zhang, et al. (2011, January 11). Corrected Values for Boiling Points and Enthalpies of Vaporization of Elements in Handbooks. Journal of Chemical & Engineering Data, 56(2), 328–337. https://doi.org/10.1021/je1011086
8. Strontium Statistics and Information | U.S. Geological Survey. (n.d.). Strontium Statistics and Information | U.S. Geological Survey. https://www.usgs.gov/centers/national-minerals-information-center/strontium-statistics-and-information
9. Strontium – Element information, properties and uses | Periodic Table. (n.d.). Strontium – Element Information, Properties and Uses | Periodic Table. https://www.rsc.org/periodic-table/element/38/strontium
10. Prohaska, T., et al. (2022, May 1). Standard atomic weights of the elements 2021 (IUPAC Technical Report). Pure and Applied Chemistry, 94(5), 573–600. https://doi.org/10.1515/pac-2019-0603
11. Haynes, W. M. (Ed.). (2014, June 4). CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics. https://doi.org/10.1201/b17118
12. Kaye, G W.C., & Laby, T H. Tables of physical and chemical constants. 15th Edition. United States.
13. It’s Elemental – The Element Strontium. (n.d.). It’s Elemental – the Element Strontium. https://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele038.html
14. P. (n.d.). Strontium | Sr (Element) – PubChem. Strontium | Sr (Element) – PubChem. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/element/Strontium