Hello everyone. I read this late Friday night and was suitably impressed then. However, just now, formatting and highlighting the text and therefore rereading it, my breath was literally taken away. Please if you could read this and tell me if a theory that's just occurred to me sounds plausible. In the third paragraph under the caption "Events, Trends and Issues," I was chuckling to myself that even the US government gives us confidentiality. Then omg reading the list of uses below, is this why the DFC are funding us? Is this the real reason for all the "confidentiality" management are honouring? The list of Strategic Minerals- is the US government safeguarding their supply, ensuring Karibib's treasure lands on their shores and no one else's? Quantum computers, military atomic clocks, a "vital" component to GPS, solar panels, fibre optic telecommunications networks, pet scan imaging, night vision devices (military?).... More in the 2 paragraphs below, but also when I had googled caesium last month, very long lists came up of science/tech uses that went completely over my head. Will be very interested to hear others' thoughts. Thank you.
Rubidium
(Data in metric tons of rubidium oxide unless otherwise noted)
Domestic Production and Use: In 2020, no rubidium was mined in the United States; however, occurrences ofrubidium-bearing minerals are known in Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, Maine, South Dakota, and Utah. Rubidium is alsoassociated with some evaporate mineral occurrences in other States. Rubidium is not a major constituent of anymineral. Rubidium concentrate is produced as a byproduct of pollucite (cesium) and lepidolite (lithium) mining and isimported from other countries for processing in the United States.
Applications for rubidium and its compounds include biomedical research, electronics, specialty glass, andpyrotechnics. Specialty glasses are the leading market for rubidium; rubidium carbonate is used to reduce electricalconductivity, which improves stability and durability in fiber optic telecommunications networks. Biomedicalapplications include rubidium salts used in antishock agents and the treatment of epilepsy and thyroid disorder;rubidium-82, a radioactive isotope used as a blood-flow tracer in positron emission tomographic imaging; andrubidium chloride, used as an antidepressant. Rubidium atoms are used in academic research, including thedevelopment of quantum-mechanics-based computing devices, a future application with potential for relatively highconsumption of rubidium. Quantum computing research uses ultracold rubidium atoms in a variety of applications.Quantum computers, which have the ability to perform more complex computational tasks than traditional computersby calculating in two quantum states simultaneously, were expected to be in prototype phase within 10 years.
Rubidium’s photoemissive properties make it useful for electrical-signal generators in motion-sensor devices, nightvision devices, photoelectric cells (solar panels), and photomultiplier tubes. Rubidium is used as an atomicresonance-frequency-reference oscillator for telecommunications network synchronization, playing a vital role inglobal positioning systems. Rubidium-rich feldspars are used in ceramic applications for spark plugs and electricalinsulators because of their high dielectric constant. Rubidium hydroxide is used in fireworks to oxidize mixtures ofother elements and produce violet hues. The U.S. military frequency standard, the United States Naval Observatory(USNO) timescale, is based on 48 weighted atomic clocks, including 4 USNO rubidium fountain clocks.
Salient Statistics—United States: Consumption, export, and import data are not available. Some concentrate wasimported to the United States for further processing. Industry information during the past decade suggests a domesticconsumption rate of approximately 2,000 kilograms per year.
The United States was 100% import reliant for rubidiumminerals.In 2020, one company offered 1-gram ampoules of 99.75%-grade rubidium (metal basis) for $89.00, a slight increasefrom $87.80 in 2019, and 100-gram ampoules of the same material for $1,608.00, a slight increase from $1,592.00 in2019. The price for 1-gram ampoules of 99.8% rubidium formate hydrate (metal basis) was $34.70, unchanged from2019.
In 2020, the prices for 10 grams of 99.8% (metal basis) rubidium acetate, rubidium bromide, rubidium carbonate,rubidium chloride, and rubidium nitrate were $50.60, $67.00, $56.80, $61.30, and $47.20, respectively. The price for arubidium-plasma standard solution (10,000 micrograms per milliliter) was $49.50 for 50 milliliters and $80.80 for100 milliliters, a 5% decrease, each, from those of 2019.
Recycling: None.
Import Sources (2016–19): No reliable data have been available to determine the source of rubidium ore importedby the United States since 1988. Prior to 2016, Canada was thought to be the primary supplier of rubidium ore.
Tariff: Item Number Normal Trade Relations 12–31–20 Alkali metals, other 2805.19.9000 5.5% ad val. Chlorides, other 2827.39.9000 3.7% ad val. Bromides, other 2827.59.5100 3.6% ad val. Iodides, other 2827.60.5100 4.2% ad val. Sulfates, other 2833.29.5100 3.7% ad val. Nitrates, other 2834.29.5100 3.5% ad val. Carbonates, other 2836.99.5000 3.7% ad val. Depletion Allowance: 14% (domestic and foreign).
Government Stockpile: None.
Events, Trends, and Issues: Domestic rubidium occurrences will remain uneconomic unless market conditionschange, such as the development of new end uses or increased consumption for existing end uses, which in turncould lead to increased prices. No known human health issues are associated with exposure to naturally occurringrubidium, and its use has minimal environmental impact.
During 2020, no rubidium production was reported globally. Production of rubidium from all countries, excludingChina, ceased within the past two decades. Production in Namibia ceased in the early 2000s, followed by the TancoMine in Canada shutting down and later being sold after a mine collapse in 2015. The Bikita Mine in Zimbabwe wasdepleted of pollucite ore reserves in 2018, and the Sinclair Mine in Australia completed the mining and shipments ofall economically recoverable pollucite ore in 2019. Recent reports indicate that with current processing rates, theworld’s stockpiles of rubidium ore, excluding those in China, will be depleted by 2022.
The primary processing plant of rubidium compounds globally, located in Germany, has reportedly operated far belowcapacity for the past few years. A company completed an updated mineral resource estimate for the Karibib project inNamibia, reporting 8.9 million metric tons of measured and indicated resources containing 0.23% rubidium and302 parts per million cesium. Located in the Karibib Pegmatite Belt, lithium would be the primary product, withcesium, potassium, and rubidium as potential byproducts.
World Mine Production and Reserves:1 There were no official sources for rubidium production data in 2020.Lepidolite and pollucite, the principal rubidium-containing minerals in global rubidium reserves, can contain up to3.5% and 1.5% rubidium oxide, respectively. Rubidium-bearing mineral resources are found in zoned pegmatites.Mineral resources exist globally, but extraction and concentration are mostly cost prohibitive. No reliable data areavailable to determine reserves for specific countries; however, Australia, Canada, China, Namibia, and Zimbabwewere thought to have reserves totaling less than 200,000 tons.
World Resources:1 Significant rubidium-bearing pegmatite occurrences have been identified in Afghanistan,Australia, Canada, China, Denmark, Germany, Japan, Kazakhstan, Namibia, Peru, Russia, the United Kingdom, theUnited States, and Zambia. Minor quantities of rubidium are reported in brines in northern Chile and China and inevaporites in the United States (New Mexico and Utah), France, and Germany.
Substitutes: Rubidium and cesium can be used interchangeably in many applications because they have similarphysical properties and atomic radii. Cesium, however, is more electropositive than rubidium, making it a preferredmaterial for some applications.
1See Appendix C for resource and reserve definitions and information concerning data sources.
U.S. Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Summaries, January 2021 Prepared by Christopher Candice Tuck [(703) 648–4912, [email protected]]
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