Rubidium nitrate is an inorganic compound with the formula Rb NO₃. This

alkali metal nitrate Alkali metal nitrates are chemical compounds consisting of an alkali metal (lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium and caesium) and the nitrate ion. Only two are of major commercial value, the sodium and potassium salts. They are white, water-solu ...

salt Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quant ...

is white and highly soluble in water.

Properties

Rubidium nitrate is a white crystalline powder that is highly soluble in water and very slightly soluble in

acetone Acetone (2-propanone or dimethyl ketone), is an organic compound with the formula . It is the simplest and smallest ketone (). It is a colorless, highly volatile and flammable liquid with a characteristic pungent odour. Acetone is miscib ...

. In a

flame test A flame test is an analytical procedure used in chemistry to detect the presence of certain elements, primarily metal ions, based on each element's characteristic flame emission spectrum (which may be affected by the presence of chloride io ...

, RbNO₃ gives a mauve/light purple colour.

Uses

Rubidium compounds have very few applications. Like

caesium nitrate Caesium nitrate or cesium nitrate is a salt with the chemical formula Cs N O3. An alkali metal nitrate, it is used in pyrotechnic compositions, as a colorant and an oxidizer, e.g. in decoys and illumination flares. The caesium emissions are ch ...

, it is used in

infrared Infrared (IR), sometimes called infrared light, is electromagnetic radiation (EMR) with wavelengths longer than those of visible light. It is therefore invisible to the human eye. IR is generally understood to encompass wavelengths from around ...

radiation optics, in

pyrotechnic composition A pyrotechnic composition is a substance or mixture of substances designed to produce an effect by heat, light, sound, gas/smoke or a combination of these, as a result of non-detonative self-sustaining exothermic chemical reactions. Pyrotechnic s ...

s as a

pyrotechnic colorant A pyrotechnic colorant is a chemical compound which causes a flame to burn with a particular color. These are used to create the colors in pyrotechnic compositions like fireworks and colored fires. The color-producing species are usually creat ...

and as an

oxidizer An oxidizing agent (also known as an oxidant, oxidizer, electron recipient, or electron acceptor) is a substance in a redox chemical reaction that gains or " accepts"/"receives" an electron from a (called the , , or ). In other words, an oxid ...

, ''e.g.'' in

decoys A decoy (derived from the Dutch ''de'' ''kooi'', literally "the cage" or possibly ''ende kooi'', " duck cage") is usually a person, device, or event which resembles what an individual or a group might be looking for, but it is only meant to lu ...

and illumination flares although it is rarely used in

fireworks Fireworks are a class of low explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a large number of devices ...

to produce a red-violet colour. It is also used as a raw material for preparation of other rubidium compounds and rubidium metal, for manufacture of

catalyst Catalysis () is the process of increasing the rate of a chemical reaction by adding a substance known as a catalyst (). Catalysts are not consumed in the reaction and remain unchanged after it. If the reaction is rapid and the catalyst recyc ...

s and in scintillation counters.

Production

RbNO₃ can be prepared either by dissolving rubidium metal, its hydroxide or carbonate in nitric acid. :RbOH + HNO₃ → RbNO₃ + H₂O :2 Rb + 2 HNO₃ → 2 RbNO₃ + H₂

References

Rubidium compounds Nitrates Pyrotechnic oxidizers Pyrotechnic colorants {{Inorganic-compound-stub