Element 38 in our International Year of the Periodic Table series is strontium. Named after Strontian, a village in Scotland where it was discovered, strontium finds use in glow-in-the-dark paints and in toothpastes. Glow-in-the-dark paints usually contain either zinc sulfide or strontium aluminate. Both of these give the paint phosphorescent qualities; this means it absorbs […]
