Specific physical and chemical properties of rubidium have attracted the attention of researchers for extraction of rubidium from its resources, which as a rare alkali metal in recent years the expansion of its commercial uses has been experienced. The main research conducted in this field has been related to recovery of this element as a byproduct of mining process of lithium minerals. In this study, we have discussed the extraction of rubidium from tailings dam of Mouteh gold processing plant in Iran by modeling the hydrometallurgical procedure used for lithium processing. For this purpose, first the pickling process of sample was done using 5M nitric acid in 85°C for 5 hours to remove most of the impurities. Then, the roasting process was optimized using central composite experiment design in two steps. 81.11% recovery rate of rubidium per 1/0.29/0.51 mass ratio of sample/sodium sulfate/calcium chloride was increased to 90.95% recovery rate per 1/0.11/0.45 mass ratio of sample/sodium sulfate/calcium chloride at the same temperature. Finally, 97.14% recovery rate of rubidium was achieved by optimization of water leaching process of roasted sample in 1.69 solid to liquid ratio, 58.51°C temperature within 31.36 minutes.
Rubidium is a rare alkali metal in the first group in periodic table, which was discovered in 1861 by Robert Bunsen and Gustav Kirchhoff using flame spectrometry. Chemical reactions of this element resemble those of the alkali metals of potassium and cesium, and acetate, bromide, carbonate, chloride, chromate, fluoride, formate, hydroxide, iodide, nitrate and sulfate salts of this element can be easily solved in water. The most striking physical properties of this silvery white element include softness, malleability and low melting point (39°C), and it is also the fourth light metallic element [1].
The application of rubidium in ionic engines (like spacecraft engines) as fuel, in photocell and photoelectric appliances due to photonic effect, its use to produce methanol and other alcohols, styrene and butadiene as catalyst, use of various rubidium compounds in electrical appliances due to semiconducting and piezoelectric properties, in analytical chemistry for identification of manganese, zirconium and noble metals, in incandescent and cathode ray lamps because of transparency of infrared radiation as well as many other applications indicate the unique properties of this valuable element [1,2].
The annual production of rubidium in the world amounts to several tens of kilograms. Because of the variety of applications, supply and demand of rubidium has been constantly growing since 1990, and its price has increased in the international market.
We thank the University of Oklahoma and the chemistry faculty for providing the space, instructions, and equipment for the development of this report and experiment.
When and how the element was discovered including who discovered it and the circumstances and/or investigations that lead to them discovering the element?
I plan to educate those who read this paper on what they might not know of a few of our elements. I will tell you what I have learned over the oxygen group on the elemental table. I will talk about Oxygen, Sulfur, Selenium, Tellurium, and last but not least Polonium. These elements have changed our way of life and history in ways you might not know. We are surrounded by these elements in our daily life and they make us the way we are. I hope to teach you and answer some questions about these elements in this informant paper.
The fortune of silver and gold discovered in Colorado’s mountains were locked inside complex ores consisting of granite, quartz and other metals that rendered them useless, unless they could be separated (Egan. NPS). Miners originally imported stamp mills and Spanish arrastras to extract the gold and silver but both these methods were inefficient and lost upwards of 70 percent of the sought after mineral (NPS). In 1867, chemistry professor Nathanial P. Hill discovered an efficient method called the Swansea process to separate the precious metals and opened the Boston Colorado Smelter in Blackhawk (NPS).
The Beryllium element, an alkaline earth metal which belongs to group II of the periodic table, was first discovered in 1798 by L.M. Vauquelin. Vauquelin,a French chemist, was doing work with aluminum and noticed a white powder that was nothing like that of aluminum or any of its derivatives. Vauquelin named this mystery powder, gluinium because of its sweet taste was like that of glucose. In 1828, Wohler, a German metallurgist reduced it to its metallic form and renamed it beryllium.(figure 2)
Helmenstine, Anne M. "Everything You Need to Know About the Element Potassium." About.com Chemistry. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2014. (The author of this cite is valid because she has a Ph.D in science).
This uneasiness is a result of events over the past one hundred years showing the dangers of radiation. Although most accidents today leading to death from radiation poisoning occur from human error or faults in equipment, the incident involving the now named "radium girls" transpired from lack of public awareness and safety laws. (introduce topics of the paper) The Radium Luminous Material Corporation was founded in 1914 (renamed in 1921 to the United States Radium Corporation) by Dr. Sabin Arnold von Sochocky and Dr. George S. Willis becoming the first U.S. company to produce radioluminescent paint. The paint used by this particular company was the trademarked "Undark", invented by William J. Hammered through mixing radium, zinc sulfide and glue with the help of Marie and Pierre Currie and Henri Becquerel.
Due to the natural processes of magma flow, hydrothermal gradients, sedimentation, and evaporation, minerals are concentrated in various areas of the Earth’s crust. Obtaining these minerals for human use involves four general steps. • Locating the minerals • Then, extracting the minerals from the Earth in the form of ore or rock Then, processing (smelting) the ore to separate the impurities from the desired mineral. Finally, creating a useful product from the minerals. Procedure 1.
Objective The ability to analyze a substance and determine properties of the substance is an important skill for AP Chemistry students. Major concepts for the “Analysis of Alum” laboratory are percent composition, water of hydration, and molecular formula. They will be used in three different experiments to determine the melting point of alum, the mole ratio of hydrated water to anhydrous alum, and percent of sulfate ion contained in alum. The values acquired in the lab should be close to the calculated values of 92.5 ˚F, 12 moles of water to 1 mole of alum, and 59%, respectively.
Frey, Regina F., and Maureen J. Donlin. "Chemistry 257." Olfaction Tutorial. Washington University, 1998. Web. 4 Dec. 2013.
Given that aluminum is the third most abundant substance as well as the most prominent metal in the Earth’s crust, repurposing it is beneficial to everyone. There are multiple ways to repurpose aluminum, however, a prominent method is converting aluminum into alum. While alum can be naturally occurring in areas of heavy weathering, that oxidize sulfide, and include potassium bearing minerals all occur, it can also be synthesized as shown in this experiment. By synthesizing alum, many practical applications arise. Medicinally, alum can be utilized to stop bleeding in minor cuts, as a treatment for gingivitis and gum bleeding, as well as a preservative for pickling fruits and vegetables. On a larger scale, alum can be used in flocculation to treat dirty water to make it drinkable. In this case, the alum binds to the heavier particles in the water, such as dirt and sand, and causes them to sink to the bottom of the container. Next, a simple filtering would need to be done to render the water
Each scientist or team of scientists had so much trouble reducing the Lithium compounds because Lithium does not exist in its elemental form in nature. It combines very easily with other elements. Lithium is a soft silvery-white lustrous metal, which can be easily cut with a knife, and it is the lightest of all known metals. It is highly reactive with water and air, and tarnishes readily when exposed to the latter due to a formation of a layer of Lithium suboxide on its surface. Because of its high rate of reaction to air, it must be stored under liquid paraffin, oil, or kerosene, which contain no air, to prevent oxidation. Lithium is detected in its compounds by the characteristic red coloration that it imparts to flames when burned, as Gmelin detected, and by spectroscopic methods.
Observations: Once the magnesium was in the crucible and was being heated by the Bunsen burner, it glowed for a brief time. It then caught fire before the lid was placed on top. When it came into contact with the oxygen, the magnesium started glowing extremely bright, and intensely white. The glow became orange after some time. The magnesium ribbon then turned white.
The Periodic Table of Elements is commonly used today when studying elements. This table’s history begins in ancient times when Greek scientists first started discovering different elements. Over the years, many different forms of the periodic table have been made which set the basis for the modern table we use today. This table includes over 100 elements and are arranged by groups and periods. Groups being vertical columns and periods being horizontal columns. With all of the research conducted over the years and the organization of this table, it is easy to use when needed.
V. Amarnath, D. C. Anthony, K. Amarnath, W. M. Valentine, L. A. Wetterau, D. G. J. Org. Chem. 1991, 56, p. 6924-6931.