Rubidium

1. Rb Rubidium #37

2. Major Physical Properties Rubidium has a boiling point of 688 degrees Celsius and it has a melting point of 39.31 degrees Celsius. It's atomic number is 37. Rubidium has an atomic mass of 85. Rubidium consists of 37 protons, 48 neutrons and 37 electrons. The main isotopes of Rubidium is 87Rb. It has no biological role, but because of its chemical similarity to potassium, we absorb it from our food, and the average person has stores of about half a gram. Rubidium is a very soft, silvery-white metal with a luster when cut.

3. Major Chemical Properties Rubidium is an alkali metal which means it is a reactive metal and requires special storage. It must be kept under a dry mineral oil or in a vacuum or inert atmosphere.It is reactive because it has an unpaired electron and tends to get rid of the electron by forming a compound. (See cartoon at the end.) It is one of the most most electropositive and alkaline elements. It ignites spontaneously in air and reacts violently with water, setting fire to the liberated hydrogen. As so with all the other alkali metals, it forms amalgams with mercury. It alloys with gold, caesium, sodium, and potassium. It colors a flame yellowish-violet.

4. Rubidium reacting with air. Rubidium reacting with water.

5. Discovery Rubidium was discovered in 1861, in Heidelberg, Germany, with a device called a spectroscope, by Robert Bunsen (a German chemist) and Gustav Kirchoff (a physicist) as an impurity associated with samples of the mineral lepidolite (a form of mica). The name rubidium (from the Latin "rubidus" - dark red) was coined for its bright red spectroscopic lines. Rubidium salts were isolated by Bunsen by precipitation from spring waters. He isolated rubidium metal by reducing rubidium hydrogen tartrate with carbon. Today, most rubidium is obtained as a byproduct of refining lithium.

6. Current Uses Rubidium is commonly used by humans to make photocells, electron tubing , salts that are used in glass and ceramic making, it is also used for heart muscle research. Rubidium is used in vacuum tubes as a getter, a material that combines with and removes trace gases from vacuum tubes. Since it is easily ionized, it might be used as a propellant in ion engines on spacecraft. Recent discoveries of large deposits of rubidium suggest that its usefulness will increase as its properties become better understood.

7. Interesting Facts • The atomic number of Rubidium is 37  • The atomic weight of Rubidium is  85.4678  • The boiling point of Rubidium is  688 º C  • The crystal structure of Rubidium is Cubic  • Rubidium was discovered in 1861  • The melting point of Rubidium is   38.89 º C  • The molar mass of Rubidium is 85.47 g/mol • Rubidium has 37 electrons  • Rubidium has 20 isotopes  • Rubidium has 48 neutrons  • Rubidium has 37 protons  • The specific gravity of Rubidium is 1.532  • The symbol of Rubidium is Rb  • The name Rubidium comes from a Latin word called rubius which means deepest red because of two red lines through the elements spectrum. Rubidium is in no way harmful to humans.

8. Pictures Atomic Structure