Rubidium: Info, Health Effects; Toxicity

Overview: Rubidium (Rb) is an alkali metal found in Group 1 of the periodic table. Its atomic mass is 82.4678 while its atomic number is 37. Rb is a soft silver metal and one of the most chemically active elements. It is mainly used to make atomic clocks and its radioactive isotope can be used to measure the age of an ancient rock. However, Rb and its compounds only have a few practical uses.

This element was discovered using spectroscopy, which is a process of examining the light that an element gives off while heating of it. Every element has its own unique spectrum (series of colored lines). This process was used by German chemists Gustav Kirchhoff and Robert Bunsen to find Rb in lepidolite (a mineral). When Kirchoff and Bunsen heated a small amount of this mineral, they discovered two new rays of colors in the spectrum.

Health Effects: Since this element is water reactive, it can be moderately toxic when ingested. It can cause thermal burn when it ignited. It easily reacts with moisture of the skin and forms RbOH which can cause chemical burns to the skin and eyes.

Other signs to watch out for due to overexposure include: extreme nervousness, skin ulcer, irritation and failure to gain weight. The symptoms of patients who have potassium imbalance and heart diseases can be aggravated by this element.

Thermal burn in the eye can be treated by holding the eye in running water for around 15 minutes. The material that caused the skin burn should be removed immediately and the element should be flushed using soap and water. People affected should immediately call the doctor once the first aid has been administered.

While Rb is not an abundant trace mineral in the human body, it still has benefits to human health. Rb mineral can help prevent diabetes due to its ability to synthesis enzymes. It creates an enzyme that helps absorb glucose in the body. Without it, glucose molecule will not be absorbed effectively, which can lead to diabetes.

Rb mineral also maintains hormonal balance and enhances the production of hormones. It helps different glands such as the lachrymal (of or relating to tears), salivary and pituitary glands function well. It can also improve the excretion of essential fluids from the glands in the body. Hormonal imbalance can cause different problems such as infertility, weight gain, hair fall and growth of facial hair.

It has been reported that this mineral can help in the absorption and regulation of iron. It controls the amount of iron in the blood. Hemosiderosis is one of the health problems caused by an excessive amount of iron in the blood.

Studies show that Rb can help in the synthesis of serotonin which is a chemical in the brain. If this is absent, the brain can suffer from mental imbalances. Serotonin deficiency is seen in those who suffer from depression. It is usually given as a medication to counter the effects of depression.

Rb is not an abundant element in the soil. Even the food sources of it are very rare. It is commonly found in different health supplements. Rb functions best when it is combined with other minerals and it is said that one should buy supplements that have this element as a portion of the total multivitamin supplement.

Even though Rb has no environmental effects reported it should be handled with caution.

Chemical Properties: Rubidium (Rb) is considered to be a very active element. When exposed to the oxygen present in the air, it catches on fire. Because of this, it must be kept submerged in kerosene. This element also strongly reacts with water. Once it makes contact with water, Rb produces hydrogen gas that can ignite. It also becomes dangerous when combined with halogens such as iodine, bromine, fluorine and chlorine.

Physical Properties: This element is a soft, silver-white metal that has a boiling point of 1,270 ˚F (688 ˚C) and a melting point of 102 ˚F (39 ˚C). Its density is around 1,532 g/cm3.

Isotopes: There are two isotopes of Rb that exist: Rb-87 and Rb-85. Isotopes are different forms of an element. They differ from each other by their individual mass number. Rb-87 is a radioactive isotope that is used to determine ages of old rocks. Several rocks contain the two Rb isotopes. Once Rb-87 breaks down a rock, it changes to a Sr-87 isotope. Rocks that contain Rb-87 contain Sr-87 as well.

Another isotope that is found in rocks is Sr-86. While Sr-86 is naturally occurring, Sr-87 (produced by Rb-87) is radioactive. The amount of Sr-87 in a rock is determined by the age of the rock. The longer Rb-87 has to break down to form Sr-87, the older the rock is. The amount of Sr-86 on the other hand stays the same. To determine the age of a rock, both amounts of Sr-87 and Sr-86 are measured and compared. The higher the ratio of Sr-87 to Sr-86, the longer the older the rocks are.

Uses: Rubidium (Rb) compounds are frequently used in making fireworks to give a purple color to them. It is also used in running thermo-electric generators where the Rb compounds formed by extreme temperature pass through a magnetic field. The compounds conduct electricity and generate electric current.

This element is also often used for Bose-Einstein condensation (a state of matter of a dilute gas of bosons cooled to temperatures very close to absolute zero) and laser cooling. It has certain features that make it a desirable and appropriate substance to use.

The production of atomic clocks uses Rb as one of its materials. This element’s energy levels are utilized by the atomic clock’s resonant element which makes it very valuable for high-precision timing. However, this type of clock is only used when accurate timekeeping is essential. Rb is also the major component of frequency references which are used to maintain frequency accuracy in networking and cell site transmitters.

Another use of Rb is in the production of photocells. Photocells are devices that convert light energy into electric energy. Photocells are used in security alarm systems as motion detectors. A special device produces a beam of light that strikes the photocells which then produce an electric current. When someone breaks in a certain place, the beam will be interrupted, causing the electric current to flow and trigger the alarm.

[The information contained in this article is believed to be reliable. I have taken every precaution to verify its accuracy; I am not a medical professional and make no warranties, representations or guarantees of any kind as to its accuracy. Medical knowledge is in a constant state of change, and what I have written here may be out of date by the time you read it. The information that I have provided here is for informational purposes only and not for use in diagnosing any condition that you may or may not have. Always consult with you doctor before treating yourself.]