The Element Rubidium

Given that its melting point is around 40C rubidium can be a liquid at ambient temperature. It is a soft silvery-white metallic alkali element falling under group I on the periodic table. Notable as the second most electropositive alkali element it is also prone to ignite spontaneously in air. When in water, it reacts vigorously to give off hydrogen.

Current commercial uses of rubidium include, acting as a Bose-Einstein condensate, as a getter in vacuum tubes, as a photocell component, as a resonant element in atomic clocks and as an ingredient for special types of glass.

 


Atomic Number & Chemical Properties


Element Basics:

Chemical Symbol: Rb
Atomic Number: 37
Atomic Weight: 85.4678
Element Classification: Alkali Metal
Discovered By: R. Bunsen, G. Kirchoff
Date of Discovery: 1861 (Germany)
Origin of Name: Latin: rubidus (deep red); the color its salts impart to flames.

How to Recognize it at a Party:

Soft, silvery-white, highly reactive metal

Seriously Atomic Information:

Density (g/cc): 1.532
Melting Point (°K): 312.2
Boiling Point (°K): 961
Atomic Radius (pm): 248
Atomic Volume (cc/mol): 55.9
Covalent Radius (pm): 216
Ionic Radius: 147 (+1e)
Pauling Negativity Number: 0.82
First Ionizing Energy (kJ/mol): 402.8
Oxidation States: 1
Electronic Configuration: [Kr] 5s1

Getting Intimate with Rubidium:

Lattice Structure: Body-Centered Cubic (BCC)
Lattice Constant (Å): 5.590
Lattice C/A Ratio: n/a
Specific Heat (@20°C J/g mol): 0.360
Fusion Heat (kJ/mol): 2.20
Evaporation Heat (kJ/mol): 75.8
Thermal Conductivity (@25°C W/m K):
Debye Temperature (°K): n/a


Society's Questions About Rubidium:

Have you ever wondered what everyone else in the world thinks about Rubidium? Is anyone else looking for it too? If so, why? What do they want?

The following list shows the most common online questions about the element Rubidium. Are your questions the same or different from everyone else's?

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