chemistry

Strontium hydroxide

Strontium hydroxide is a chemistry topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Strontium hydroxide rather than just read about it. In short: Strontium hydroxide, Sr(OH)2, is a caustic alkali composed of one strontium ion and two hydroxide ions. It is synthesized by combining a strontium salt with a strong base.

Key takeaways

Strontium hydroxide belongs to chemistry; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Strontium hydroxide to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Strontium hydroxide from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Strontium hydroxide, Sr(OH)2, is a caustic alkali composed of one strontium ion and two hydroxide ions. It is synthesized by combining a strontium salt with a strong base. Sr(OH)2 exists in anhydrous, monohydrate, heptahydrate, and octahydrate form.

Preparation Because Sr(OH)2 is only slightly soluble in cold water, its preparation can be easily carried out by the addition of a strong base such as NaOH or KOH drop by drop to a solution of any soluble strontium salt, most commonly Sr(NO3)2 (strontium nitrate), which forms the octahydrate. This must be done in the absence of CO2 to prevent formation of the nearly insoluble carbonate which would complicate purification:

Sr(NO3)2·4H2O + 2 KOH + 4 H2O → Sr(OH)2·8H2O + 2 KNO3 The Sr(OH)2 will precipitate out as a fine white powder. From here, the solution is filtered, and the Sr(OH)2 is washed with a large excess of ice cold water and dried. The anhydrous form or any of the hydrates may be prepared by adding one molar equivalent of water to strontium oxide (SrO). The hydrates may be prepared by adding the required amount of water (one, seven, or eight more molar equivalents) to the anhydrous form.

Applications Strontium hydroxide is used chiefly in the refining of beet sugar and as a stabilizer in plastic. It may be used as a source of strontium ions when the chlorine from strontium chloride (SrCl2) is undesirable. Strontium hydroxide absorbs carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air to form strontium carbonate (SrCO3).

Safety Strontium hydroxide is a severe skin, eye and respiratory irritant. It is harmful if swallowed.

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Strontium hydroxide

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Strontium hydroxide claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In chemistry, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Strontium hydroxide before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Strontium hydroxide ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Strontium hydroxide

In research: Strontium hydroxide appears in chemistry research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Strontium hydroxide in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Strontium hydroxide is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Hydroxides, Strontium compounds, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Strontium hydroxide outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Strontium hydroxide in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Strontium hydroxide means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Strontium hydroxide out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Strontium hydroxide in simple terms?

Strontium hydroxide, Sr(OH)2, is a caustic alkali composed of one strontium ion and two hydroxide ions. It is synthesized by combining a strontium salt with a strong base.

Why does Strontium hydroxide matter?

Because it connects several chemistry ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Strontium hydroxide?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Strontium hydroxide.