A Visual Encyclopedia of the Periodic Table

46

Alkaline Earth Metals

This mineral

is found in some

microorganisms.

Soft, brittle

cr ystals

Forms

Strontium

Sr

38

38 38 50

State: Solid

Discovery: 1790

Strontium was discovered in 1791 in a

mineral found near the Scottish village

of Strontian. The mineral burned with a

bright crimson flame, and Scottish chemist

Thomas Charles Hope studied it and found

that it contained a new element. This mineral

was called strontianite, and it is the main ore

of strontium. Pure strontium was first extracted

by British chemist Humphry Davy in 1808, who

conducted an experiment using electricity to

obtain the element from the mineral. Strontium

was once used in television screens, but today

Celestine

Stro

ntian

ite

This grey metal

turns yellow in air.

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Some paints

containing

strontium absorb

light during the day,

glowing

at night.

046-047_Strontium.indd 46 02/12/16 10:05 pm