Dirubidium is a molecular substance containing two atoms of rubidium found in rubidium vapour. Dirubidium has two active valence electrons. It is studied both in theory and with experiment. The rubidium trimer has also been observed.
Synthesis and properties
Dirubidium is produced when rubidium vapour is chilled. The enthalpy of formation (ΔfH°) in the gas phase is 113.29kJ/mol. In practice, an oven heated to 600 to 800K with a nozzle can squirt out vapour that condenses into dimers. The proportion of Rb2 in rubidium vapour varies with its density, which depends on the temperature. At 200° the partial pressure of Rb2 is only 0.4%, at 400°C it constitutes 1.6% of the pressure, and at 677°C the dimer has 7.4% of the vapour pressure (13.8% by mass).
The rubidium dimer has been formed on the surface of helium nanodroplets when two rubidium atoms combine to yield the dimer:
Rb + Rb → Rb2
Rb2 has also been produced in solid helium matrix under pressure.
Ultracold rubidium atoms can be stored in a magneto-optic trap and then photoassociated to form molecules in an excited state, vibrating at a rate so high they barely hang together. In solid matrix traps, Rb2 can combine with the host atoms when excited to form exciplexes, for example Rb2(3Πu)He2 in a solid helium matrix.
Ultracold rubidium dimers are being produced in order to observe quantum effects on well-defined molecules. It is possible to produce a set of molecules all rotating on the same axis with the lowest vibrational level.
Spectrum
Dirubidium has several excited states, and spectral bands occur for transitions between these levels, combined with vibration. It can be studied by its absorption lines, or by laser induced-fluorescence. Laser induced-fluorescence can reveal the life-times of excited states.
In the absorption spectrum of rubidium vapour, Rb2 has a major effect. Single atoms of rubidium in the vapour cause lines in the spectrum, but the dimer causes wider bands to appear. The most severe absorption between 640 and 730nm makes the vapour almost opaque from 670 to 700nm, wiping out the far red end of the spectrum. This is the band due to X→B transition. From 430 to 460nm there is a shark-fin shaped absorption feature due to X→E transitions. Another shark fin like effect around 475nm s due to X→D transitions. There is also a small hump with peaks at 601, 603 and 605.5nm 1→3 triplet transitions and connected to the diffuse series. There are a few more small absorption features in the near infrared.
There is also a dirubidium cation, Rb2+ with different spectroscopic properties.
Bands
Transition
Colour
Known vibrational bands
Bandheads
A-X
infrared
B-X
red
4-0 5-0 6-0 7-0 8-0 9-0 10-0 11-0 6-1 7-1 8-1 9-2
14847.080 to 15162.002
C-X
blue
D-X
blue-violet
1-C
infrared
C→2
6800–8000cm−1
11Δg-X
540nm quadrupole
Molecular constants for excited states
The following table has parameters for 85Rb85Rb the most common for the natural element.
Parameter
Te
ωe
ωexe
ωeye
Be
αe
γe
De
βe
re
ν00
ReÅ
ref
31Σg+
5.4Å
43+ u 5s+6s
33Δu 5s+4d
33Πu 5s + 6p
22 610.27
41.4
23Πu
19805.2
42.0
0.01841
4.6
13Σg 5p+5s
13Σu 5p+5s
weak
13Πu 5p+5s
2g
13029.29
0.01568
5.0
1g
13008.610
0.0158
5.05
0− g
12980.840
0.0151
5.05
0+ g inner
12979.282
0.015489
5.1
0+ g outer
13005.612
0.00478
9.2
0+ u
c3Σu+ (unbound) 5p2P3/2
b3Πu
b3Π0u+
9600.83
60.10
4.13157Å
a3Σu+ metastable triplet
a3Πu triplet ground state
141Σg+
30121.0
44.9
0.01166
pred
131Σg+
28 863.0
46.1
0.01673
pred
121Σg+
28 533.9
38.4
0.01656
pred
111Σg+
28 349.9
42.0
0.01721
pred
101Σg+
27 433.1
45.3
0.01491
pred
91Σg+
26 967.1
45.1
0.01768
pred
81Σg+
26 852.9
44.6
0.01724
pred
71Σg+
25 773.9
76.7
0.01158
pred
61Σg+
24 610.8
46.3
0.01800
pred
111Σu+
29 709.4
41.7
0.01623
pred
101Σu+
29 339.2
35.0
0.016 85
pred
91Σu+
28 689.9
43.6
0.01661
pred
81Σu+
28 147.3
51.5
0.01588
pred
71Σu+
27 716.8
44.5
0.01636
pred
61Σu+
26 935.8
49.6
0.01341
pred
51Σu+
26108.8
39
0.016 47
4.9
51Πu
26131
4.95
41Σu+
24 800.8
10.7
0.00298
pred
41Σg+
20004.13
61.296
0.01643
31Σu+ 5s+6s
22 405.2
40.2
0.015 536
31Πu = D1Πu 5s + 6p
22777.53
36.255
0.01837
5008.59
4.9Å
21Σg+
13601.58
31.4884
-0.01062
0.013430
-0.0000018924
2963
5.4379
21Σu+ 6s+4d
5.5 (vibration causes a large stretching)
21Πu = C1Πu
20 913.18
36.255
0.01837
21Πg
22 084.9
30.6
0.01441
11Δg
11Πu
11Πg
15510.28
22.202
-0.1525
0.013525
-0.0001209
1290cm−1
5.418
B1Πu 5s+5p
14665.44
47.4316
0.1533
0.0060
0.01999
0.000070
1.4
A1Σu+ 5s+5p
10749.742
44.58
4.87368Å
X1Σg+ 5s+5s
12816
57.7467
0.1582
0.0015
0.02278
0.000047
1.5/3986cm−1
4.17
Related species
The other alkali metals also form dimers: dilithium Li2, Na2, K2, and Cs2. The rubidium trimer has also been observed on the surface of helium nanodroplets. The trimer, Rb3 has the shape of an equilateral triangle, bond length of 5.52 A˚ and a binding energy of 929cm−1.
References
123Spiegelmann, F; Pavolini, D; Daudey, J -P (28 August 1989). "Theoretical study of the excited states of the heavier alkali dimers. II. The Rb molecule". Journal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics. 22 (16): 2465–2483. Bibcode:1989JPhB...22.2465S. doi:10.1088/0953-4075/22/16/005. S2CID250784871.
↑Chase, M. W. (1998). "Dirubidium". webbook.nist.gov: 1–1951.
123Caldwell, C.D.; Engelke, F.; Hage, H. (December 1980). "High resolution spectroscopy in supersonic nozzle beams: The Rb2 B 1Πu-X 1Σ+g band system". Chemical Physics. 54 (1): 21–31. Bibcode:1980CP.....54...21C. doi:10.1016/0301-0104(80)80031-0.
123456Huang, Y; Qi, J; Pechkis, H K; Wang, D; Eyler, E E; Gould, P L; Stwalley, W C (14 October 2006). "Formation, detection and spectroscopy of ultracold Rb2 in the ground X 1Σg state". Journal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics. 39 (19): S857–S869. Bibcode:2006JPhB...39S.857H. doi:10.1088/0953-4075/39/19/S04. S2CID52970920.
↑Vdović, S.; Sarkisyan, D.; Pichler, G. (December 2006). "Absorption spectrum of rubidium and cesium dimers by compact computer operated spectrometer". Optics Communications. 268 (1): 58–63. Bibcode:2006OptCo.268...58V. doi:10.1016/j.optcom.2006.06.070.
↑Yang, Jinxin; Guan, Yafei; Zhao, Wei; Zhou, Zhaoyu; Han, Xiaomin; Ma, Jie; Sovkov, Vladimir B.; Ivanov, Valery S.; Ahmed, Ergin H.; Lyyra, A. Marjatta; Dai, Xingcan (14 January 2016). "Observations and analysis with the spline-based Rydberg–Klein–Rees approach for the 31Σg+ state of Rb2". The Journal of Chemical Physics. 144 (2): 024308. Bibcode:2016JChPh.144b4308Y. doi:10.1063/1.4939524. PMID26772572.
1234567891011121314151617181920212223Jastrzebski, Wlodzimierz; Kowalczyk, Pawel; Szczepkowski, Jacek; Allouche, Abdul-Rahman; Crozet, Patrick; Ross, Amanda J. (28 July 2015). "High-lying electronic states of the rubidium dimer – predictions and experimental observation of the 51Σu+ and 5 Π states of Rb by polarization labelling spectroscopy". The Journal of Chemical Physics. 143 (4): 044308. Bibcode:2015JChPh.143d4308J. doi:10.1063/1.4927225. PMID26233130.
123456Bellos, M. A.; Rahmlow, D.; Carollo, R.; Banerjee, J.; Dulieu, O.; Gerdes, A.; Eyler, E. E.; Gould, P. L.; Stwalley, W. C. (2011). "Formation of ultracold Rb2 molecules in the v′′ = 0 level of the a3Σ+u state via blue-detuned photoassociation to the 13Πg state". Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics. 13 (42): 18880–18886. arXiv:1105.0451. Bibcode:2011PCCP...1318880B. doi:10.1039/C1CP21383K. PMID21909578.
12Amiot, C. (July 1986). "The Rb2 1 1Πg electronic state by laser-induced fluorescence infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy". Molecular Physics. 58 (4): 667–678. Bibcode:1986MolPh..58..667A. doi:10.1080/00268978600101491.
12Salami, H.; Bergeman, T.; Beser, B.; Bai, J.; Ahmed, E. H.; Kotochigova, S.; Lyyra, A. M.; Huennekens, J.; Lisdat, C.; Stolyarov, A. V.; Dulieu, O.; Crozet, P.; Ross, A. J. (27 August 2009). "Spectroscopic observations, spin-orbit functions, and coupled-channel deperturbation analysis of data on the A1sigma+u and b3piu states of Rb2". Physical Review A. 80 (2) 022515. Bibcode:2009PhRvA..80b2515S. doi:10.1103/PhysRevA.80.022515.
12Havalyova, I.; Pashov, A.; Kowalczyk, P.; Szczepkowski, J.; Jastrzebski, W. (November 2017). "The coupled system of (5)1sigmau+ and (5) 1 Π u electronic states in Rb 2". Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative Transfer. 202: 328–334. Bibcode:2017JQSRT.202..328H. doi:10.1016/j.jqsrt.2017.08.011.
↑Jastrzebski, W.; Kowalczyk, P. (December 2016). "Potential energy curve of the D(3) 1Πu state in rubidium dimer from spectroscopic measurements". Journal of Molecular Spectroscopy. 330: 96–100. Bibcode:2016JMoSp.330...96J. doi:10.1016/j.jms.2016.06.010.
12Amiot, C.; Verges, J. (May 1987). "The Rb2 21Σ+g electronic state by laser induced fluorescence infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy". Molecular Physics. 61 (1): 51–63. Bibcode:1987MolPh..61...51A. doi:10.1080/00268978700100981.
↑Nagl, Johann; Auböck, Gerald; Hauser, Andreas W.; Allard, Olivier; Callegari, Carlo; Ernst, Wolfgang E. (13 February 2008). "Heteronuclear and Homonuclear High-Spin Alkali Trimers on Helium Nanodroplets". Physical Review Letters. 100 (6) 063001. Bibcode:2008PhRvL.100f3001N. doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.100.063001. PMID18352466.