Strontium iodide


Strontium iodide is a salt of strontium and iodine. It is an ionic, water-soluble, and deliquescent compound that can be used in medicine as a substitute for potassium iodide
It is also used as a scintillation gamma radiation detector, typically doped with europium, due to its optical clarity, relatively high density, high effective atomic number, and high scintillation light yield. In recent years, europium-doped strontium iodide has emerged as a promising scintillation material for gamma-ray spectroscopy with extremely high light yield and proportional response, exceeding that of the widely used high performance commercial scintillator LaBr3:Ce3+. Large diameter SrI2 crystals can be grown reliably using vertical Bridgman technique and are being commercialized by several companies.

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Strontium iodide can be prepared by reacting strontium carbonate with hydroiodic acid:
Strontium iodide forms a white powder that slowly changes to a yellowish colour when exposed to air. At high temperatures strontium iodide completely decomposes to form strontium oxide and free iodine.