Strontium nuclear properties

Properties. Strontium is a hard white metal having physical properties shown in Table 1. It has four stable isotopes, atomic weights 84, 86, 87, and 88 and one radioactive isotope, strontium-90 [10098-97-2] which is a product of nuclear fission. The most abundant isotope is strontium-88. 

The properties of hydrated titanium dioxide as an ion-exchange (qv) medium have been widely studied (51—55). Separations include those of alkaH and alkaline-earth metals, zinc, copper, cobalt, cesium, strontium, and barium. The use of hydrated titanium dioxide to separate uranium from seawater and also for the treatment of radioactive wastes from nuclear-reactor installations has been proposed (56). 

Highly pure lanthanum oxide is used to make optical glass of high refractive index for camera lenses. It also is used to make glass fibers. The oxide also is used to improve thermal and electrical properties of barium and strontium titanates. Other applications are in glass polishes carbon arc electrodes fluorescent type phosphors and as a diluent for nuclear fuels. In such apph-cations, lanthinum oxide is usually combined with other rare earth oxides. 

The application of the linear model will be shown for cesium-137 and strontium-85 ions. Cs-137 and the different strontium isotopes, especially Sr-90, are important components of nuclear wastes. As seen previously in Table 3.2, the cesium ion has a different sorption property on bentonite samples from the Sajobabony deposit, depending on geological origin and composition. Similarly, different bentonite rocks from the Carpathian Basin (Table 3.4) show different sorption properties, including kinetics and equilibrium (Figure 3.4, Table 3.5 Nagy et al. 2003b Konya et al. 2005). 

Bonding in the silica-type covalent phosphate structure is illustrated in Fig. 8.5. Because this bonding is covalent, the resulting minerals are very hard and their aqueous solubility is extremely low. These properties make them attractive for the disposal of radioactive barium and strontium isotopes formed during nuclear reactions. These two isotopes may be converted to their covalent phosphate structures as Sr3(P04)2 and Ba3(P04)2 and can be disposed or stored in repositories safely. 

Strontium can also exist as several radioactive isotopes, the most common is °Sr. Strontium-90 is formed in nuclear reactors or during the explosion of nuclear weapons. Radioactive strontium generates beta particles as they decay. One of the radioactive properties of strontium is half-life, or the time it takes for half of the isotope to give off its radiation. 

The name comes from the town of Strontian in Scotland and was given to the element by Thomas Hope (1766-1844). There are many claims for the original discovery of strontium. William Cruikshank, in 1787, and Adair Crawford, in 1790, both examined strontianite (SrC03) and recognized that it had unique properties. Thomas Hope noted an unknown earth in 1791. Martin Klaproth presented a paper on a number of strontium compounds in 1793 and 1794. Richard Kirwan (1733-1812) examined a number of strontium compounds and presented his findings in 1794. It was Davy who isolated strontium metal, in 1808. Strontium does not occur in pure form in nature but is found in small quantities in many places. Some forms of strontium are radioactive, particularly 90Sr, which has been found in nuclear fallout. It can also be used in SNAP devices (Systems for Nuclear Auxiliary Power) as a power source. The main commercial use of strontium is in the glass of color television picture tubes. 

It should be noted that radioactive contaminants are not to be compared with their stable chemical counterparts. For example, because of the unchangeable character of the nuclear disintegration phenomenon, the natural purification processes which restore chemical and biological balances in the environments of living" things, would have no effect on the radio-toxic properties of the radioactive elements. The time required for accumulations of strontium-90 to decay to background levels, would... 

At the southern end of this family are the metals strontium, barium, and radium. The kingdom s patterns are beginning to be established, and since patterns are the foundation of prediction we are able to predict that these regions will be much more reactive than those to the north. Indeed, they are too aggressive to their environment to be of much use, and nature has found no use for them. Nature s child, humanity, though, has put them to use. Radium is highly radioactive (a nuclear, not a chemical, property), and is used to kill unwanted proliferating cells. A radioactive form of strontium, strontium-90, is a component of nuclear fallout, and if it accumulates in place of calcium in bone it can kill cells that are needed for life and induce leukemia. 

Trombe J-C, Montel G (1978) Some features of the incorporation of oxygen in different oxidation states in the apatite lattice-II. On the synthesis and properties of calcitrm and strontium peroxiapatites. J Inorg Nuclear Chem 40 23-26... 

One of the most important properties of a radioactive nuclide is its lifetime. At present it is not possible to predict theoretically when any particular nucleus in a sample will decay. However, the number of nuclides in a sizeable sample that will decompose in a given time can be measured, and it is found that this rate of decay is characteristic of a given isotope. In fact, the rate of decay of an isotope is constant and unvarying. That is, if a fraction of a radioactive nuclide decays in a certain time interval f, then the same fraction of the remainder will decay in another increment of time f, irrespective of external conditions. Nuclear reactions are not affected by outside influences such as temperature and pressure and it is not possible to significantly alter the constant rate of radioactive decay. For example, radioactive strontium-90, an important... 

It sometimes happens in living systems that, when the primary element is not immediately available, a substitution can be made with an element with similar properties. Thus, an element from the same group can sometimes be substituted for an element not readily available. For instance, strontium (38) can sometimes be found to substitute for calcium (20) in the bones when strontium is more available than calcium. Radioactive strontium isotopes are sometimes released in nuclear accidents, so the incorporation of strontium into the bones is a cause for concern. 

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