Rubidium studies

Del Signore A, Di Giacomo F and Giaccio M (1999) Some biological properties ofi rubidium studied by means ofi the germinability tests. Mengen-und Spurenelemente 19 470-479. 

Rubidium-87 emits beta-particles and decomposes to strontium. The age of some rocks and minerals can be measured by the determination of the ratio of the mbidium isotope to the strontium isotope (see Radioisotopes). The technique has also been studied in dating human artifacts. Rubidium has also been used in photoelectric cells. Rubidium compounds act as catalysts in some organic reactions, although the use is mainly restricted to that of a cocatalyst. 

Rubidium Analysis, Biological Studies and Occurrence," Chemical Abstracts— Chemical Substances Indexes, American Chemical Society, Washington, D.C. 

The alkali metals form a homogeneous group of extremely reactive elements which illustrate well the similarities and trends to be expected from the periodic classification, as discussed in Chapter 2. Their physical and chemical properties are readily interpreted in terms of their simple electronic configuration, ns, and for this reason they have been extensively studied by the full range of experimental and theoretical techniques. Compounds of sodium and potassium have been known from ancient times and both elements are essential for animal life. They are also major items of trade, commerce and chemical industry. Lithium was first recognized as a separate element at the beginning of the nineteenth eentury but did not assume major industrial importance until about 40 y ago. Rubidium and caesium are of considerable academic interest but so far have few industrial applications. Francium, the elusive element 87, has only fleeting existence in nature due to its very short radioactive half-life, and this delayed its discovery until 1939. 

In the many reports on photoelectron spectroscopy, studies on the interface formation between PPVs and metals, focus mainly on the two most commonly used top electrode metals in polymer light emitting device structures, namely aluminum [55-62] and calcium [62-67]. Other metals studied include chromium [55, 68], gold [69], nickel [69], sodium [70, 71], and rubidium [72], For the cases of nickel, gold, and chromium deposited on top of the polymer surfaces, interactions with the polymers are reported [55, 68]. In the case of the interface between PPV on top of metallic chromium, however, no interaction with the polymer was detected [55]. The results concerning the interaction between chromium and PPV indicates two different effects, namely the polymer-on-metal versus the metal-on-polymer interface formation. Next, the PPV interface formation with aluminum and calcium will be discussed in more detail. 

P.J. Goddard, and R.M. Lambert, Basic studies of the oxygen surface chemistry of silver Oxygen, dioxygen, oxide and superoxide on rubidium-dosedAg(l 1 ),Surf. Sci. 107,519-532(1981). 

The development of chemistry itself has progressed significantly by analytical findings over several centuries. Fundamental knowledge of general chemistry is based on analytical studies, the laws of simple and multiple proportions as well as the law of mass action. Most of the chemical elements have been discovered by the application of analytical chemistry, at first by means of chemical methods, but in the last 150 years mainly by physical methods. Especially spectacular were the spectroscopic discoveries of rubidium and caesium by Bunsen and Kirchhoff, indium by Reich and Richter, helium by Janssen, Lockyer, and Frankland, and rhenium by Noddack and Tacke. Also, nuclear fission became evident as Hahn and Strassmann carefully analyzed the products of neutron-bombarded uranium. 

Vandecasteele et al. [745] studied signal suppression in ICP-MS of beryllium, aluminium, zinc, rubidium, indium, and lead in multielement solutions, and in the presence of increasing amounts of sodium chloride (up to 9 g/1). The suppression effects were the same for all of the analyte elements under consideration, and it was therefore possible to use one particular element, 115indium, as an internal standard to correct for the suppressive matrix effect, which significantly improved experimental precision. To study the causes of matrix effect, 0.154 M solutions of ammonium chloride, sodium chloride, and caesium chloride were compared. Ammonium chloride exhibited the least suppressive effect, and caesium chloride the most. The results had implications for trace element determinations in seawater (35 g sodium chloride per litre). 

In the other study. X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy was used to analyze trace element concentrations by observing dusts on 37 ram diameter cellulose acetate filters (20). Twenty-three elutriator and twenty-three area samples from 10 different bales of cotton were analyzed. The average fraction of total dust accounted for by the elements analyzed was 14.4% amd 7.6% for vertical elutriator and area samples, respectively. Although the variation in absolute quantity of atn element was high, the relative abundance of an element was consistent for measurements within a bale. Averaged over all the samples analyzed, calcium was the most abundant element detected (3.6%), followed by silicon (2.9%), potassium (2.7%), iron (1.1%), aluminum (1.1%), sulfur (1.0%), chlorine (0.8%) and phosphorous (0.6%). Other elements detected in smaller aunounts included titanium, manganese, nickel, copper, zinc, bromine, rubidium, strontium, barium, mercury amd lead. 

The crystal structures of 5-methyl-5-(2-methylprop-l-enyl)-2-phenyl-4-(4-phenylthiazol-2-yl)-A -1,3,4-oxadiazoline <90ZC26> and the rubidium and silver salts of 2-phenyl-A -l,3,4-oxadiazolin-5-one <85JOC4461> have been analyzed. A crystal study of bis-[2-(5-phenyl-l,3,4-oxadiazol-2-yl)-methyl] ether produced bond lengths and angles and showed the rings to be nearly coplanar <87AX(C)2166>. 

In 1988, Cava and co-workers also prepared (88a) a quaternary oxide, Ba/K/Bi/O, and observed superconductivity at -28 K. This compound was the first "non-transition metal" oxide with a Tc above the legendary "alloy record" of 23 K. Further studies indicated (88a) that the optimum composition for "high temperature" superconductivity in this system was Ba0 6K0 4BiO3 x, having a Tc of 30.5 K (Figure 17). The samples were multiphase, and the superconducting fraction varied from 3 to 25%. Superconductivity for the rubidium-substituted compound was observed at -28.6 K. 

Ions like S2, SeJ and SSe are found to align along the <110> directions in most alkali halides, while in Nal, KBr and KI, the S—bond of S2 is oriented along the <100> direction. In the case of Oj, the p orbitals are parallel to the <100> direction in sodium salts but are parallel to the direction in rubidium and potassium salts. Extensive spectroscopic studies have been reported on molecular ions such as NO, NO3, Cr04 and MnO . Several reviews(Corish et al, 1977 Bridges, 1975 Grimes, 1976) are available on such impurity-doped solids. 

Rubidium-82 myocardial perfusion images are used to study patients with myocardial ischemia or infarction. An example of this study is shown in Figure 8. Three patients with known myocardial infarction were imaged with Rb-82. Twenty millicuries of Rb-82 were administered in a 20 ml bolus in 20 sec. Data accumulated from 0-90 seconds post infusion show the blood pool as the radioactivity enters the right side of the heart, flows out to the lungs, and returns to the left side of the heart. Data accumulated from 90-300 seconds reflect uptake of Rb-82 in the myocardium as distributed by blood flow. These results by a non-invasive procedure correlated with the results of catheterized contrast x-ray studies (27,28). 

Brain Studies. Rubidium-82 has also been used to study blood brain barrier changes in patients with brain tumors or Alzheimer s type senile dementia (28-30). The method of study is similar to the heart studies without gating. Figure 11 shows the uptake of Rb-82 in the three levels of a brain tumor. This non-invasive procedure provides information on the size and vascularity of the tumor. In the slice OM + 10 there is a vascular rim and a necrotic center in the tumor. The metabolism of glucose was determined in the same tumor patient using F-fluorodeoxyglucose produced on a cyclotron and the results correlated well with Rb-82 distribution. 

---