Rubidium (Rb) – Periodic Table (Element Information & More)

Hey! Check out our New Interactive Periodic Table with rotating Bohr models—it's a game-changer!
Take a look!🙂


For future use, bookmark this Periodic table
or visit "PeriodicTableGuide.com"

Rubidium (Rb) element Periodic table

This is a SUPER easy guide on Rubidium element.

In fact, the table mentioned below is the perfect information box (Which gives you every single detail about the Rubidium element in Periodic table.)

So if you want to know anything about Rubidium element, then this guide is for you.

Let’s finish this very quickly.

Rubidium Element (Rb) Information

AppearanceRubidium (Rb) element appearance
Grey white
State (at STP)Solid
Position in Periodic tableRubidium in periodic table (Position)
Group: 1, Period: 5, Block: s
CategoryRubidium element category
Alkali metals
Atomic number or 
Protons
37
Neutrons48
Electrons37
SymbolRb
Atomic massRubidium (Rb) atomic mass
85.468 u
Electrons arrangement

or 

Bohr model
Bohr model of Rubidium (Electrons arrangement in Rubidium, Rb)
2, 8, 18, 8, 1
Electronic configuration[Kr] 5s1
Atomic radiusRubidium (Rb) atomic radius
303 picometers (van der Waals radius)
Valence electronsRubidium (Rb) Valence electrons
1
1st Ionization energy4.177 eV
ElectronegativityRubidium (Rb) electronegativity
0.82 (Pauling scale)
Crystal structurecrystal structure of rubidium
BCC (Body Centered Cubic)
Melting point312.4 K or 39.3 °C or 102.7 °F
Boiling point961 K or 688 °C or 1270 °F
Density1.53 g/cm3
Main isotope85Rb, 87Rb
Who discovered Rubidium and when?who discovered rubidium and when
Robert Bunsen and Gustav Kirchhoff 
(in 1861)
CAS number7440-17-7

Explore our New Interactive Periodic Table with Rotating Bohr Models

  • Access detailed info on all elements: atomic mass, electron configurations, charges, and more.
  • View rotating Bohr models for all 118 elements.
  • Get a free HD image of the Periodic Table.

Visit ➢ Periodic table

For future use, bookmark this Periodic table or visit “PeriodicTableGuide.com”

Rubidium in Periodic table

Rubidium element is in group 1 and period 5 of the Periodic table. Rubidium is the s-block element and it belongs to Alkali metals group.

Click on above elements (in Periodic table) to see their information or Visit Interactive Periodic Table (which shows names, symbol, atomic mass, electron configuration, electrons arrangement, etc. of all the elements)

Click on above elements (in Periodic table) to see their information

←Move to: Krypton (Kr) element – Periodic Table
→Move to: Strontium (Sr) element – Periodic Table

Why is Rubidium in Group 1?

Why is rubidium in group 1

Do you know, how many electrons can be accommodated in the first shell, second shell, third shell, fourth shell, etc…?

Here is the table showing the capacity of orbits to hold electrons. 

Number of electrons in shells.

Orbit / Shell (n)Maximum no. of electrons this orbit can hold
K shell, n = 12 × 1² = 2
L shell, n = 22 × 2² = 8
M shell, n = 32 × 3² = 18
N shell, n = 42 × 4² = 32

Thus, 

  • 1st shell can hold 2 electrons.
  • 2nd shell can hold 8 electrons.
  • 3rd shell can hold 18 electrons.
  • 4th shell can hold 32 electrons.

Now the atomic number of Rubidium (Rb) is 37.

Hence, the rubidium element has the electrons arrangement 2, 8, 18, 8, 1.

This electron arrangement indicates that the outermost orbit of Rubidium (Rb) has 1 electron.

Hence, it lies in group 1.

Why is Rubidium so reactive?

Why is Rubidium so reactive (Rubidium reaction with water)

Rubidium is a very reactive metal because of the following reasons.

  • Large atomic size
  • One valence electron
  • Less ionization energy
  • Lower boiling point
  • Lower melting point
  • Less density
  • Weak metallic bonds

Explanation:

Rubidium is a group 1 element and it has bigger atomic size compared to the elements of other groups.

Also it possesses only one electron in the outermost orbit.

It has a very less Ionization energy, that means very less energy is required to remove the valence electrons from its orbit.

Also, Rubidium has lower melting point and lower boiling point which indicates that it has weak metallic bonds.

Thus because of all these reasons, Rubidium element can donate or lose its electron very easily.

And hence, Rubidium element is highly reactive.

It is so reactive that if it is kept in the water, it will easily catch fire (See above animation).

Also see: Reaction of Alkali metals with water (Animation + Chemical reactions)

Is Rubidium a Metal, Nonmetal or Metalloid?

Rubidium is a Metal. It’s a grey white colored reactive metal. It is a soft and light metal. It is so reactive that it even catches fire if it comes in contact with water.

is Rubidium a metal nonmetal or metalloid

But do you know what exactly the metals are?

  • Metals are the elements which lose electron/s during a chemical reaction. 

In other words, metals are electron donors.

Metals are found on the left side of the Periodic table.

For more clarification, see the location of metals on the Periodic table (Image).

Is Rubidium an Alkali Metal? Why?

Yes, Rubidium is an Alkali Metal.

Reason:

When Rubidium metal reacts with water, it forms alkali (i.e strong base).

Let me explain this to you with a chemical reaction.

Rubidium reaction with water

When Rubidium reacts with water, Rubidium hydroxide (RbOH) is obtained.

And this Rubidium hydroxide is alkaline in nature.

So rubidium is known as alkali metal.

In simple words, Rubidium is a metal which forms a strong base (alkalis or alkaline solution) on reacting with water, so it is known as alkali metal.

Also see: Why are Alkaline Earth Metals called so?

Why is Rubidium larger than Xenon?

Why is Rubidium larger than Xenon

Rubidium and Xenon are the elements in the same period (i.e period 5).

But there is a huge difference in their atomic size.

Van der Waals atomic radius of rubidium is 303 picometers while that of xenon is 216 picometers.

Rubidium atom is bigger in size than the Xenon atom.

Here is the reason behind this.

You might be knowing about the atomic size trend in Periodic table.

According to the atomic size trend, as we move across a period (from left to right in the Periodic table), the atomic size of the elements decreases.

This is because of the increase in attractive force between the positively charged nucleus and negativity charges electrons.

Let me explain this with an example.

Why is Rubidium larger than Xenon (Xe)

As you can see, Rubidium and Xenon atoms have 5 shells or orbits.

But the difference is the number of protons present in their nucleus.

Rubidium atom has 37 protons while the Xenon atom has 54 protons.

Protons are the positively charged particles which attract the negatively charged electrons.

Now, the xenon atom has 54 protons, so it generates more attractive force compared to that of rubidium.

So if we compare rubidium atom and xenon atom, then they have same number of shells but xenon atom has more positive charge which attracts the electrons towards the nucleus.

Thus, because of this attractive force, the xenon atom shrinks.

Hence rubidium is larger than xenon.

Also see: Periodic table with atomic size labeled on it (Image)

Interesting Facts about Rubidium

Interesting facts about the Rubidium element are mentioned below.

  • Rubidium is not found in a pure form due to its highly reactive nature. It is always found in compound forms with other elements. Many times rubidium is found with cesium and other Alkali metals. In such cases, it becomes very difficult to separate them, as all the alkali metals have similar characteristics.
  • Density of rubidium is 1.5 times that of water.
  • Flame test of Rubidium gives red-violet color. So, the red-violet color in fireworks can be obtained by using the Rubidium element.
  • Rubidium is the second most electropositive element. (source)
  • Rubidium is 23rd most abundant element in the earth’s crust.
  • Melting point of Rubidium is just slightly more than human body temperature. (Our average body temperature is 37 °C, and the melting point of Rubidium is 39.3 °C).

Explore our New Interactive Periodic Table (with Rotating Bohr Models and More)

Details about this Periodic table:

  • Access detailed info on all elements: atomic mass, electron configurations, charges, and more.
  • View rotating Bohr models for all 118 elements.
  • Get a free HD image of the Periodic Table.

External resources:

  1. It’s Elemental – The Element Rubidium. (n.d.). It’s Elemental – the Element Rubidium. https://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele037.html
  2. Georgescu, I. (2015, November 20). Rubidium round-the-clock. Nature Chemistry, 7(12), 1034–1034. https://doi.org/10.1038/nchem.2407
  3. Simmons, E. C. (n.d.). Rubidium: Element and geochemistry. Encyclopedia of Earth Science, 555–556. https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-4496-8_278
  4. Rubidium – Element information, properties and uses | Periodic Table. (n.d.). Rubidium – Element Information, Properties and Uses | Periodic Table. https://www.rsc.org/periodic-table/element/37/rubidium
  5. P. (n.d.). Rubidium | Rb (Element) – PubChem. Rubidium | Rb (Element) – PubChem. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/element/Rubidium

Leave a Comment