Question

What formula represents strontium phosphate?

Answer 1

Elements in the periodic table are classified as metals, non-metals, and metalloids. Metals and non-metals combine with each other and form compounds named ionic compounds. Phosphorus and oxygen combine to form a phosphate ion. Strontium and phosphate ions combine to form strontium phosphate.

Complete answer:
Alkaline earth metals are the chemical metals that belong to the group $2$ . These all elements can easily lose electrons and exist as metals. The elements in this group were beryllium, magnesium, calcium, strontium, barium, and radium. Thus, strontium acts as metal and becomes an ion by losing electrons, and exists as a cation.
Phosphorus and oxygen are non-metals and combine to form different compounds, one of them is phosphate ion with the molecular formula of $P{O_4}^{ - 3}$ . Due to the presence of a negative charge, an anion exists.
It is an ionic compound and can be dissociated into ions easily. Strontium is pyrophoric which means it ignites spontaneously in air at room temperature only. naturally occurring strontium is not hazardous to health.
Three strontium atoms combine with two phosphate ions and forms a compound known as strontium phosphate with molecular formula of $S{r_3}{\left( {P{O_4}} \right)_2}$ .

Note:
In order to form an ionic compound, the electrons lost by cation should be equal to the number of electrons gained by anion. Each strontium atom can lose two electrons, and each phosphate ion can gain three electrons. to balance the electrons, three strontium atoms must combine with two phosphate ions only.