Strontite

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A rare mineral form or compound containing strontium, historically identified as an oxide of that alkaline earth metal
2. An old name for strontium oxide, a compound of the element strontium that occurs in certain mineral deposits
3. A strontium-bearing substance, traditionally recognized as the oxide of the metal strontium found in some rocks

Etymology: Strontite is named after Strontian, a village in the Highlands of Scotland, where the element strontium was first identified. In 1790 the physician Adair Crawford, working in London, examined a mineral from the lead mines at Strontian and found it contained a previously unknown earth, which he called "strontites." The mineral strontianite, the carbonate, took its name from the same place, and the element was named strontium in 1808 by Humphry Davy, who isolated it. Strontite is the name given to the oxide form, strontium oxide (SrO), a mineral found mainly as a rare product of mineral formation and as a compound used in chemistry. The "-ite" ending is the standard mineral suffix, which in modern naming usually marks a mineral or chemical compound, so the word is a technical coinage built on a place name rather than an ancient root.

Synonyms: strontianite