American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth
Edition - n. A soft, silvery, easily oxidized metallic element
that ignites spontaneously in air when finely divided. Strontium
is used in pyrotechnic compounds and various alloys. Atomic
number 38; atomic weight 87.62; melting point 769°C; boiling
point 1,384°C; specific gravity 2.54; valence 2. See Table at
element. Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia - n. Chemical symbol,
Sr; atomic weight, 87.37; specific gravity, 2.54. A dark-yellow
metal, less lustrous than barium, malleable, and fusible at a
red heat. When heated in air, it burns with a bright flame to
the oxid. It decomposes water at ordinary temperatures, evolving
hydrogen, and uniting with the oxygen of the water to form the
oxid strontia. It does not occur native. The chief strontium
minerals are the carbonate (strontianite) and the sulphate
(celestine). Strontium also occurs as a silicate in the mineral
brewsterite. It has been detected in the waters of various
mineral springs, as well as