71 Facts About Rubidium That You Should Know About This Unique Element

The group of elements in the first column of the periodic table is called alkali metals.

Hydrogen and alkali metals make up group one elements of the periodic table. Although listed in group one due to its electron configuration, hydrogen is the only element not technically considered an alkali metal.

The elements of the group One alkali metals are lithium, potassium, sodium, rubidium, francium, and cesium. Sodium is known to be the most widely found alkali metal on Earth. Alkali metals have some common properties: they are highly reactive and shiny metals with a soft texture.

They are not free elements in nature, but they are generally found as salts. Some of them explode when coming into contact with water. When compared to other metals, they have a low density. They are also ductile, malleable, and good conductors of heat and electricity.

They tarnish when exposed to air due to oxidation. As they are highly reactive with air and water, they are generally stored in oil. Different alkali metals burn with different colored flames, including red, orange, and violet.

Are you interested in knowing more about alkali metals and facts about rubidium? Read on and refer to related topics on facts about plutonium and facts about gold here on Kidadl.

Fun Facts About Rubidium

There are various rubidium facts that are interesting. Pure rubidium is not found as a free metal in nature, and it reacts violently when exposed. Even though it is the 23rd most abundant element in the Earth's crust, it is comparatively rare.

German scientists Robert Bunsen and Gustav Kirchhoff spectroscopically discovered rubidium metal in 1861. They came across the new element while observing the atomic spectrum of the mineral lepidolite when it burned.

The rubidium spectrum displayed two prominent red lines, and the chemists named the new alkali metal 'rubidium' from the word 'rubidius', which means 'deepest red' in Latin. Rubidium is found in some minerals in Canada, North America, Russia, and South Africa. Rubidium often occurs in nature with cesium.

However, rubidium is widely scattered and seldom occurs as a natural mineral. It is usually found only as an impurity (only up to 5%) in other minerals.

Rubidium reacts violently in water and ignites spontaneously in contact with trace gases. Due to this, rubidium is stored in a vacuum under dry mineral oil or in an inert atmosphere.

Rubidium sinks in water as it is denser and has chemical reactions with water to form a colorless solution of hydrogen gas and sodium hydroxide. The element forms alloys with potassium, cesium, and gold. Rubidium does not have any known health effects, but scientists consider rubidium a toxic element.

Scientific Facts About Rubidium

Rubidium is an element with the chemical symbol Rb and atomic number 37. Rubidium is a silvery-white ductile soft metal and is highly reactive. Even though the element is solid at room temperature, rubidium will melt if it becomes a little bit warmer.

Rubidium burns with a reddish-violet glow when placed in a flame. Rubidium displays biological activities that are similar to potassium ions. Even though the element is not very essential for nutrition in the human body, it is present in small quantities in almost all animal and human tissue.

Rubidium compounds also have a significant role in biochemistry. For instance, the compound Rubidium chloride is used as a biomarker to track potassium used by living organisms. The hyperfine electron configurations of RB-87 are used in atomic clocks to maintain accuracy.

Uses Of Rubidium

Rubidium is used in vacuum tubes, atomic clocks, vapor turbines, and photocells. It is also used in a few types of glasses, in the production of superoxide and with potassium ions for biological uses.

It has been found that rubidium does not have many uses commercially. In vacuum tubes, rubidium is used as a getter that combines with and removes trace gases.

It is also useful in the manufacture of special glasses and photocells. Rubidium discovered in extensive deposits in recent times suggests that the benefit of the element will increase because the effects of rubidium are better understood now.

Rubidium compounds are varied, although none of them has any significant industrial or commercial applications. A compound of rubidium, silver, and iodine (RbAgI5) has electrical characteristics that are used in thin-film batteries.

Rubidium chloride is found to have therapeutical use in the treatment of depression in dialysis patients suffering from depression due to depleted rubidium levels.

Facts About Characteristics Of Rubidium

The atomic weight of rubidium is 85.47 with the electron configuration ( Kr) 5s1. A portion of the rubidium configuration is equivalent to the noble gas of the preceding period and is abbreviated as (Kr).

Regarding the physical properties of group one elements, they are soft metals, and each has a low melting point. The melting point of rubidium is 102 °F (38.9 °C), and the boiling point is 1270 °F (688 °C).

There are 29 known isotopes, and natural rubidium consists of two isotopes, rubidium-87 ( 27.85 % ) and rubidium-85 (72.15 %). Rubidium 87 is a radioactive isotope and emits beta rays with a half-life of 49 billion years, more than three times the age of the universe.

There are also many artificially prepared radioactive isotopes ranging from rubidium-79 to rubidium-95.

Among other facts about rubidium, the most interesting one is that rubidium is not specifically harmful to humans. When it enters the body, the ions are excreted rapidly in urine and sweat.

Above all, rubidium is a rare and expensive metal with very few uses. A number of tedious processes are required to break its chemical bond and leave the metal isolated in its pure state. This is why rubidium metal is expensive, on top of being rare.

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