atomic number 38

7.3

A soft silver-white metal called strontium that turns yellow in air

noun

Specialized

: número atómico 38

The element with atomic number 38 is strontium.

Examples

The mineral sample contains a high percentage of atomic number 38, also known as strontium.
Researchers detected traces of atomic number 38 in the soil near the site.
In chemistry, atomic number 38 is classified as an alkaline earth metal.
Did you know that atomic number 38 refers to strontium?
In chemistry, atomic number 38 is classified as an alkaline earth metal that is soft and silver-white.
The mineral sample contains a high percentage of atomic number 38, which is commonly known as strontium.
Researchers detected traces of atomic number 38 in the soil samples collected near the ancient mining site.

Synonyms

strontium

vsatomic number 38

Specialized

8 8.0

A soft silver-white metal found in some minerals, used to make red fireworks

uses the element's numeric label in the periodic table rather than the common name

vsatomic number 38

Specialized

1 7.3

A chemical symbol for the metal strontium

uses the element's numeric label in the periodic table rather than a letter symbol

Surface Forms

atomic number 38 singular

atomic numbers 38 plural

Morphology

atomic + number + 38

The phrase compositionally denotes 'the element that has atomic number 38' from the known parts 'atomic' + 'number' + '38', so a learner can understand it refers to an element identified by that number. However, identifying the specific element name 'strontium' requires encyclopedic/chemistry knowledge (the periodic table) beyond knowing the constituent words, so the expression is only partially transparent to a B1 learner.

Etymology

The term atomic number 38 is the label on the periodic table that always points to the element 'strontium'. Think of the number 38 as a name tag for this soft silver-white metal that turns yellow in air, so atomic number 38 means that specific element.