Rubidium superoxide, rubidio superoxide or rubidium hyperoxide is a chemical compound with the chemical formulaRbO2. Rubidium forms superoxide under certain conditions like direct contact with oxygen. In terms of oxidation states, the negatively charged superoxide and positively charged rubidium give it a structural formula of Rb+[O2]−.
Roughly speaking, RbO2 has a crystal structure similar to tetragonal calcium carbide, but is rather distorted due to the Jahn–Teller effect, which makes the crystal structure less symmetrical.
Preparation
Rubidium superoxide can be created by slowly exposing elemental rubidium to oxygen gas:
Rb(s) + O2(g) → RbO2(s)
Like other alkali metal hyperoxides, crystals can also be grown in liquid ammonia.
Reactions
An even more oxygen rich compound, that of rubidium ozonide (RbO3) can be created by reacting RbO2 with ozone.
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↑Busch, G.; Strässler, S., eds. (1974). "Magnetische und kalorische Eigenschaften von Alkali-Hyperoxid-Kristallen". Physics of Condensed Matter. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg. pp.267–291. doi:10.1007/978-3-662-39595-0. ISBN978-3-662-38713-9.
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