Rubidium
| Atomic Number: | 37 |
| Symbol: | Rb |
| Atomic weight: | 85.467 |
| Discovery: | Bunsen & Kirchoff 1861, discovered rubidium in the mineral petalite via its dark red spectral lines. |
| Electron Configuration: | [Kr]5s1 |
| Word Origin: | Latin: rubidus: deepest red |
| Isotopes: | There are 24 known isotopes of rubidium. Natural rubidium consists of two isotopes, rubidium-85 and rubidium-87. 27.85% of natural rubidium is rubidium-87, a beta emitter with a half-life of 4.9 x 1010 years. |
| Properties: | Rubidium may be liquid at room temperature. It ignites spontaneously in air and reacts violently in water, setting fire to the liberated hydrogen. Thus, rubidium must be stored under dry mineral oil, in a vacuum, or in an inert atmosphere. It is a soft, silvery-white metallic element of the alkali group. Rubidium is the second most electropositive and alkaline element. Rubidium forms amalgams with mercury and alloys with gold, sodium, potassium, and cesium. It colors a flame yellowish violet. |
Document Actions
Like us on Facebook