Isotopes of strontium

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The alkaline earth metal strontium (₃₈Sr) has four stable, naturally occurring isotopes: ⁸⁴Sr (0.56%), ⁸⁶Sr (9.86%), ⁸⁷Sr (7.0%) and ⁸⁸Sr (82.58%). Its standard atomic weight is 87.62(1).

Only ⁸⁷Sr is radiogenic; it is produced by decay from the radioactive alkali metal ⁸⁷Rb, which has a half-life of 4.88 × 10¹⁰ years (i.e. more than three times longer than the current age of the universe). Thus, there are two sources of ⁸⁷Sr in any material: primordial, formed during nucleosynthesis along with ⁸⁴Sr, ⁸⁶Sr and ⁸⁸Sr; and that formed by radioactive decay of ⁸⁷Rb. The ratio ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr is the parameter typically reported in geologic investigations;^[4] ratios in minerals and rocks have values ranging from about 0.7 to greater than 4.0 (see rubidium–strontium dating). Because strontium has an electron configuration similar to that of calcium, it readily substitutes for calcium in minerals.

In addition to the four stable isotopes, thirty-two unstable isotopes of strontium are known to exist, ranging from ⁷³Sr to ¹⁰⁸Sr. Radioactive isotopes of strontium primarily decay into the neighbouring elements yttrium (⁸⁹Sr and heavier isotopes, via beta minus decay) and rubidium (⁸⁵Sr, ⁸³Sr and lighter isotopes, via positron emission or electron capture). The longest-lived of these isotopes, and the most relevantly studied, are ⁹⁰Sr with a half-life of 28.9 years, ⁸⁵Sr with a half-life of 64.853 days, and ⁸⁹Sr (⁸⁹Sr) with a half-life of 50.57 days. All other strontium isotopes have half-lives shorter than 50 days, most under 100 minutes.

Strontium-89 is an artificial radioisotope used in treatment of bone cancer;^[5] this application utilizes its chemical similarity to calcium, which allows it to substitute calcium in bone structures. In circumstances where cancer patients have widespread and painful bony metastases, the administration of ⁸⁹Sr results in the delivery of beta particles directly to the cancerous portions of the bone, where calcium turnover is greatest. Strontium-90 is a by-product of nuclear fission, present in nuclear fallout. The 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident contaminated a vast area with ⁹⁰Sr.^[6] It causes health problems, as it substitutes for calcium in bone, preventing expulsion from the body. Because it is a long-lived high-energy beta emitter, it is used in SNAP (Systems for Nuclear Auxiliary Power) devices. These devices hold promise for use in spacecraft, remote weather stations, navigational buoys, etc., where a lightweight, long-lived, nuclear-electric power source is required.

In 2020, researchers have found that mirror nuclides ⁷³Sr and ⁷³Br were found to not behave identically to each other as expected.^[7]