Rubidium fluoride

Rubidium fluoride (RbF) is the fluoride salt of rubidium. It is a cubic crystal with rock-salt structure.

There are several methods for synthesising rubidium fluoride. One involves reacting rubidium hydroxide with hydrofluoric acid:

RbOH + HF → RbF + H₂O

Another method is to neutralize rubidium carbonate with hydrofluoric acid:

Rb₂CO₃ + 2HF → 2RbF + H₂O + CO₂

Another possible method is to react rubidium hydroxide with ammonium fluoride:

RbOH + NH₄F → RbF + H₂O + NH₃

The least used method due to expense of rubidium metal is to react it directly with fluorine gas, as rubidium reacts violently with halogens:

2Rb + F₂ → 2RbF