Strontium

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Strontium \Stron"ti*um\, n. [NL. See {Strontia}.] (Chem.)
     A metallic element of the calcium group, always naturally
     occurring combined, as in the minerals strontianite,
     celestite, etc. It is isolated as a yellowish metal, somewhat
     malleable but harder than calcium. It is chiefly employed (as
     in the nitrate) to color pyrotechnic flames red. Symbol Sr.


     Atomic weight 87.3.
     [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  strontium
       n : a soft silver-white or yellowish metallic element of the
           alkali metal group; turns yellow in air; occurs in
           celestite and strontianite [syn: {Sr}, {atomic number 38}]

From Elements database 20001107 [elements]:

  strontium
  Symbol: Sr
  Atomic number: 38
  Atomic weight: 87.62
  Soft yellowish metallic element, belongs to group 2 of the periodic
  table. Highly reactive chemically. Sr-90 is present in radioactive fallout
  and has a half-life of 28 years. Discovered in 1798 by Klaproth and Hope,
  isolated in 1808 by Humphry Davy.