Strontium sulfate is a salt that consists of an acid residue of sulfuric acid and strontium with a valency equal to two. The formula of this compound is SrSO 4 . You can also use a different name for the presented compounds, for example, strontium sulfate.
Being in nature
Strontium sulfate is found in nature in the form of a mineral - celestine. This name translates as "heavenly." It was first discovered back in the eighteenth century in Sicily, which is why the mineral bears this name.
This mineral is mined in Canada, Austria, and large deposits are also located in the Ural Mountains.
The crystals of this mineral are large plates and prisms. They can also be in the form of various columns. Celestine is a filling component in rocks, large and small cracks, but, in addition, it is able to get to the surface and make up the crust of the rock. Most often, they search for a mineral in sedimentary rocks, which means that quite often it can be found at the bottom of the seas and oceans.
Most often, this mineral has a blue tint, but there are colorless and grayish, as well as yellowish-brown samples.
Getting
One of the features of such a metal as strontium is that this element does not exhibit active reactivity when interacting with concentrated acids. But at the same time it quickly and actively combines with sufficiently dilute acids. It also shows its activity with weak representatives of acids. Therefore, dilute sulfuric acid is used to prepare this compound.
Also, a precipitate of strontium sulfate can be obtained by the exchange reaction with a water-soluble salt containing an acid residue of sulfuric acid. The resulting precipitate is a fairly fine white powder, which can subsequently be easily cleaned with water.
The solubility of strontium sulfate
This compound is sparingly soluble. Solubility at 18 degrees Celsius is 11.4 mg in 100 grams of water. It is known that with increasing temperature the solubility of most compounds increases. For strontium sulfate, the following dependence is observed: with an increase in temperature from 10 to 70 degrees Celsius, this ability increases by 1.5 times.
Solubility can be accelerated by the addition of, for example, chlorine ions. This phenomenon is called the “salt effect”. It lies in the fact that the solubility of sparingly soluble substances, such as, in this case, strontium sulfate, increases if you add a salt to it that does not have common ions with a sparingly soluble compound.
Connection Properties
Strontium sulfate can interact with other salts, for example, such as potassium sulfate or ammonium sulfate, resulting in the formation of double salts.
The crystal structure of this compound has two modifications. One of them is rhombic, which can exist under ordinary conditions and up to a temperature of 1152 degrees Celsius, and with stronger heating it becomes monoclinic.
Application
Strontium sulfate is part of electrolytes that are used to produce wear-resistant materials. This compound is taken in some excess, since in the mixture with chromium anhydride and potassium hydrogen fluoride, an electrolytic composition is obtained that fully complies with the requirements that are imposed on the required material.
Also, strontium sulfate is used in the paint industry. It is worth noting that the strontium ions that enter the compounds color the flame red. This property is used in various fillers for fireworks and salutes.
In addition, strontium sulfate is used as a substance with oxidizing properties that can be used at high temperatures.