🔹 Basic Information

• Element Name: Strontium
• Discovered By: Adair Crawford & William Cruickshank
• Year of Discovery: 1790
• Category: Alkaline Earth Metal
• Group: 2 (Group IIA – Alkaline Earth Metals)
• State at Room Temperature: Solid (soft, silvery metal) ⚙️

Strontium is a soft, silvery metal that’s part of the alkaline earth metals family. It’s known for its bright red flame when burned and is often used in fireworks and flares! 🎆

🔸 Chemical Properties

• Chemical Symbol: Sr
• Atomic Number: 38
• Atomic Mass: ~87.62 u
• Valency: 2
• Electronic Configuration: [Kr] 5s²

Strontium is highly reactive, especially with water and air. It quickly forms a white oxide layer and reacts with water to produce hydrogen gas.

📘 Basic Things to Know

Strontium is never found alone in nature — it’s found in minerals like celestine and strontianite. It was named after the village Strontian in Scotland, where it was first identified.

In the body, strontium is chemically similar to calcium and can even be found in bones in small amounts.

🤔 Interesting Facts

• Strontium burns with a bright red flame, making it perfect for red fireworks and signal flares. 🎇
• It was once used in CRT televisions to block harmful X-rays. 📺
• Strontium-90, a radioactive form, is a by-product of nuclear reactions and can be dangerous. ☢️
• In trace amounts, strontium is found in bones and teeth, similar to calcium. 🦴
• It’s used in fluorescent lights and even in dental care research.

🔧 Common Uses

• Fireworks: Gives off a bright red color — one of its most famous uses! 🎆
• Signal Flares: Used in emergency and military signaling due to its strong red flame. 🚨
• Medical Field: Strontium ranelate is studied for use in bone health treatments. 💊
• Glass Manufacturing: Added to glass for TV tubes and certain lenses. 🔍
• Nuclear Industry: Strontium-90 is used in radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs).

📚 Conclusion

Strontium is a bright and reactive metal that adds color to the sky and strength to science. From dazzling fireworks to medical research, strontium shows how chemistry plays a part in entertainment, safety, and health. For students, it’s a cool example of how science lights up our world — literally! 🔬🎇