Strontium iodide is an inorganic compound with the chemical formulaSrI2. It is a salt of strontium and iodine. It forms a hexahydrateSrI2·6H2O. It is an ionic, water-soluble, and deliquescent compound that can be used in medicine as a substitute for potassium iodide.[5]
It is also used as a scintillationgamma radiation detector, typically doped with europium, due to its optical clarity, relatively high density, high effective atomic number (Z=48), and high scintillation light yield.[6] In recent years, europium-doped strontium iodide (SrI2:Eu2+) 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 [7] and are being commercialized by several companies.[8][9]
Strontium iodide forms a white powder that slowly changes to a yellowish colour when exposed to air. At high temperatures (in the presence of air) strontium iodide completely decomposes to form strontium oxide and free iodine.[10]