Rubidium

What is Rubidium ?

Rubidium is a soft metal characterized by its silvery-white color. It is also one of the highly reactive elements. It is solid at room temperature but melts when exposed to warm temperatures. More about rubidium including vital information you should know is discussed in this article.

Where is Rubidium obtained?

Rubidium is commonly found in minerals such as leucite, lepidolite, pollucite, and carnallite. Most of the commercially produced rubidium comes from lepidolite as a byproduct of extracting lithium. Other commercial sources of rubidium are potassium minerals and brines. 

History of Rubidium 

It was in 1760 when the discovery of lithium potassium mineral lepidolite happened. They throw it to glowing coals and noticed that it frothed and later on hardened like glass. Through a deep analysis, they were able to find out that it has lithium and potassium, but also has rubidium. 

In 1861, two personalities from the University of Heidelberg, Gustav Kirchhoff and Robert conducted an experiment. They dissolve the ore in acid and the potassium it contained was precipitated. They thoroughly washed the precipitate with boiling water and get rid of the soluble potassium component.

It was then that they were able to confirm the existence of the new element. They examined the atomic spectrum and found out it has two deep  ruby red lines and named it after its color. In 1928, a pure rubidium metal was produced. 

Classification, Properties, and Characteristics of Rubidium 

Rubidium is an alkali metal that is solid at room temperature. It is characterized by its silvery white color but if you look at its atomic spectrum, you will notice that it has two intense ruby-red lines. It creates amalgams with alloys and mercury with sodium, gold, cesium, and potassium. In a flame test, rubidium creates red-violet color.

Lewis Dot Structure of Rubidium

Bohr’s Atomic Model of Rubidium

Atomic Data of Rubidium

Physical Properties of Rubidium 

Color	Silvery White
Odor	Odorless
Taste	Tasteless
Atomic Mass	85.468
Weight	85.4678
Density	1.53
Atomic Radius	3.03
Ionization Energy	403.032kJ mol−1
Covalent Radius	2.15Å
Ionic Radius	147 (+1e)
Electronic Gain Enthalpy	46.884 kJ mol−1
Electron Negativity	0.82
Electron Affinity	46.884 kJ mol−1
Melting Point	39.30°C, 102.74°F, 312.45 K
Boiling Point	688°C, 1270°F, 961 K

Chemical Properties of Rubidium

Atomic Number	37
Group	1
Period	5
Block	s
Electronic Configuration	[Kr] 5s1
Combustion	Flammable
Chemical Reactivity	Reactive
Valency of Element	1

Different States of Rubidium 

Rubidium is an alkali metal and it’s solid at room temperature. Although it melts into liquid when it reaches a specific temperature. It has a +1 oxidation state. 

Uses of Rubidium 

• Rubidium is primarily used as a component of photocells.
• It helps get rid of oxygen traces from vacuum tubes.
• Rubidium plays an important role in making special types of glass.
• It is used in ion engines because of its ability to be ionized easily.
• A rubidium compound, rubidium nitrate is used in fireworks to create purple color.
• Rubidium-87 is known for its slightly radioactive property, thus, the reason it is used in dating rocks.
• It is used in vapor reference cells, and lasers.
• A rubidium compound, rubidium carbonate is used in the making of optical glasses.
• Rubidium is useful in time distribution services as it controls telecommunications infrastructure, television broadcast, and GPS.
• The long-term stability of rubidium makes it perfect to be used in quartz oscillators.
• Rubidium has medical significance too. The generator-produced rubidium 82 is used in PET scans and cardiac stress tests to thoroughly evaluate blood flow to cardiac muscles.
• Rubidium is an effective dietary supplement for it has health significance such as improving cardiovascular health and fighting off depression.

Price of Rubidium

Pure rubidium costs around $12 per gram or $340 per ounce. The cost fluctuates depending on supply and demand.

Interesting facts about Rubidium 

• Don’t you know that rubidium easily melts, just above body temperature?
• Spectroscopy paved the way for the discovery of rubidium.
• Rubidium was named after “rubidus”, a Latin word, which means “deepest red.”
• Rubidium ranked 23rd in the list of the most abundant elements in the earth’s crust and is also the second most electropositive element.
• Don’t you know that rubidium chloride serves as a biomarker in biochemistry and its role is to track where potassium is taken up by living things?
• A Bose-Einstein condensate was produced using isotope Ru-87 and the proponents’ Carl Wiemen, Wolfgang Ketterle, and Eric Cornell earned the 2001 Nobel Prize in Physics.
• The creation of a synthetic magnetic monopole and the study of its behavior was done with the use of rubidium atoms. The study was conducted in 2014 at Amherst College in Massachusetts and Aalto University in Finland.
• A trace element of rubidium is needed by the body, specifically in maintaining proper thyroid function.
• Don’t you know that a deficiency in rubidium can significantly lower the life expectancy and growth rate in goats? 

Frequently Asked Questions

References

1. https://www.rsc.org/periodic-table/element/37/rubidium
2. https://www.livescience.com/34519-rubidium.html
3. https://www.thoughtco.com/rubidium-facts-rb-or-element-37-606588
4. https://www.britannica.com/science/rubidium
5. https://www.lenntech.com/periodic/elements/rb.htm
6. https://www.chemicool.com/elements/rubidium.html
7. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/element/Rubidium
8. https://kidadl.com/facts/facts-about-rubidium-that-you-should-know-about-this-unique-element
9. https://www.chemistrylearner.com/rubidium.html
10. https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-rubidium-properties-uses-facts.html