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onclick="audf_play_pause()"> 🔊  </button> <script> function audf_play_pause() { var myAudiof = document.getElementById("myAudio_f"); if (myAudiof.paused) { myAudiof.play(); } else { myAudiof.pause(); }} </script></span> </div> </div> </div> <div id="main">  <div class="pure-u-1 pure-u-sm-1-1"> <div class="pure-menu pure-menu-horizontal pure-menu-scrollable"> <a href="#" class="pure-menu-link pure-menu-heading">▸▸</a> <ul class="pure-menu-list"> <li class="pure-menu-item">🇬🇧 Rubidium</li> <li class="pure-menu-item">🇺🇦 Рубідій</li> <li class="pure-menu-item">🇨🇳 銣</li> <li class="pure-menu-item">🇳🇱 Rubidium</li> <li class="pure-menu-item">🇫🇷 Rubidium</li> <li class="pure-menu-item">🇩🇪 Rubidium</li> <li class="pure-menu-item">🇮🇱 רובידיום</li> <li class="pure-menu-item">🇮🇹 Rubidio</li> <li class="pure-menu-item">🇯🇵 ルビジウム</li> <li class="pure-menu-item">🇵🇹 Rubídio</li> <li class="pure-menu-item">🇪🇸 Rubidio</li> <li class="pure-menu-item">🇸🇪 Rubidium</li> <li class="pure-menu-item">🇷🇺 Рубидий</li> </ul> </div> </div> <div class="pure-g"> <div class="pure-u-1 pure-u-sm-1-1"> <div class="google_navbar_positioning"> <form action="https://www.google.com" id="cse-search-box"> <div> <input type="hidden" name="cx" value="partner-pub-9334432533380510:6223510783"> <input type="hidden" name="ie" value="UTF-8"> <input type="text" name="q" size="28"> <input type="submit" name="sa" value="Search"> </div> </form> <script> </script> </div> </div> </div> <main> <div class="pure-g"> <div class="pure-u-1 pure-u-sm-1-1"> <h1 class="s">Rubidium - <sub><small>37</small></sub>Rb: reactions of elements</h1> <div class="pure-menu pure-menu-horizontal pure-menu-scrollable"> <ul class="pure-menu-list z_menu"> <li class="pure-menu-item s"><a href="../rubidium/" class="pure-menu-link">▸▸ Rb Essentials</a></li> <li class="pure-menu-item s"><a class="pure-menu-link" href="../rubidium/physics.html">Physical properties</a></li> <li class="pure-menu-item s"><a class="pure-menu-link" href="../rubidium/atoms.html">Electron shell data</a></li> <li class="pure-menu-item s"><a class="pure-menu-link" href="../rubidium/atom_sizes.html">Atom sizes</a></li> <li class="pure-menu-item s"><a class="pure-menu-link" href="../rubidium/electronegativity.html">Electronegativity</a></li> <li class="pure-menu-item s"><a class="pure-menu-link" href="../rubidium/isotopes.html" >Isotopes and NMR</a></li> <li class="pure-menu-item s"><a class="pure-menu-link" href="../rubidium/crystal_structure.html">Crystal structure</a></li> <li class="pure-menu-item s"><a class="pure-menu-link" href="../rubidium/thermochemistry.html">Thermochemistry</a></li> <li class="pure-menu-item s"><a class="pure-menu-link" href="../rubidium/history.html">History</a></li> <li class="pure-menu-item s"><a class="pure-menu-link" href="../rubidium/uses.html">Uses</a></li> <li class="pure-menu-item s"><a class="pure-menu-link" href="../rubidium/geology.html">Geology</a></li> <li class="pure-menu-item s"><a class="pure-menu-link" href="../rubidium/biology.html">Biology</a></li> <li class="pure-menu-item s"><a class="pure-menu-link" href="../rubidium/compounds.html">Binary compounds</a></li> <li class="pure-menu-item s"><a class="pure-menu-link" href="../rubidium/compound_properties.html" >Compound properties</a></li> <li class="pure-menu-item s"><a class="pure-menu-link" href="../rubidium/chemistry.html">Element reactions</a></li> <li class="pure-menu-item s"><a class="pure-menu-link" href="../rubidium/contents.html">List all Rb properties</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <h2 class="s">Reaction of rubidium with air</h2> <p class="p_first">Rubidium is very soft and easily cut. The resulting surface is bright and shiny. However, this surface soon tarnishes because of reaction with oxygen and moisture from the air. If rubidium is burned in air, the result is mainly formation of dark brown rubidium superoxide, RbO<sub>2</sub>.</p> <p class="equation">Rb(s) + O<sub>2</sub>(g) → RbO<sub>2</sub>(s)</p> <h2 class="s">Reaction of rubidium with water</h2> <p class="p_first">Rubidium metal reacts very rapidly with water to form a colourless solution of rubidium hydroxide (RbOH) and hydrogen gas (H<sub>2</sub>). The resulting solution is basic because of the dissolved hydroxide. The reaction is very exothermic. The reaction is so fast that if the reaction is carried out in a glass vessel, the glass container may well shatter. The reaction is slower than that of caesium (immediately below rubidium in the periodic table), but faster than that of potassium (immediately above rubidium in the periodic table).</p> <p>2K(s) + 2H<sub>2</sub>O → 2KOH(aq) + H<sub>2</sub>(g)</p> <h2 class="s">Reaction of rubidium with the halogens</h2> <p class="p_first">Rubidium metal reacts vigorously with all the halogens to form rubidium halides. So, it reacts with fluorine, F<sub>2</sub>, chlorine, Cl<sub>2</sub>, bromine, I<sub>2</sub>, and iodine, I<sub>2</sub>, to form respectively rubidium(I) bromide, RbF, rubidium(I) chloride, RbCl, rubidium(I) bromide, RbBr, and rubidium(I) iodide, RbI.</p> <p class="equation">2Rb(s) + F<sub>2</sub>(g) → RbF(s)</p> <p class="equation">2Rb(s) + Cl<sub>2</sub>(g) → RbCl(s)</p> <p class="equation">2Rb(s) + Br<sub>2</sub>(g) → RbBr(s)</p> <p class="equation">2Rb(s) + I<sub>2</sub>(g) → RbI(s)</p> <h2 class="s">Reaction of rubidium with acids</h2> <p class="p_first">Rubidium metal dissolves readily in dilute sulphuric acid to form solutions containing the aquated Rb(I) ion together with hydrogen gas, H<sub>2</sub>.</p> <p class="equation">2Rb(s) + H<sub>2</sub>SO<sub>4</sub>(aq) → 2Rb<sup>+</sup>(aq) + SO<sub>4</sub><sup>2-</sup>(aq) + H<sub>2</sub>(g)</p> <h2 class="s">Reaction of rubidium with bases</h2> <p class="p_first">Rubidium metal reacts very rapidly with water to form a colourless basic solution of rubidium hydroxide (RbOH) and hydrogen gas (H<sub>2</sub>). The reaction continues even when the solution becomes basic. The resulting solution is basic because of the dissolved hydroxide. The reaction is very exothermic. The reaction is so fast that if the reaction is carried out in a glass vessel, the glass container may well shatter. The reaction is slower than that of caesium (immediately below rubidium in the periodic table), but faster than that of potassium (immediately above rubidium in the periodic table). 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