Question

What is the reaction that corresponds to the first ionization energy of rubidium

Answer 1

Rb(g) → Rb⁺(g) + e⁻ I₁ = 1st ionization energy

Step-by-step explanation:

Here we have

Rb(g) → Rb⁺(g) + e⁻

The equation is of the form

X → X⁺ + e⁻

An atom that is made up of more than one electron requires a steadily increasing amount of energy to remove each successive electron. The ionization energy I₁ to remove the first electron is the first ionization energy, which can be defined as follows

E(g) → E⁺(g)+ e⁻ I₁ = 1st ionization energy

Similarly, the second ionization energy is given by

E⁺(g) → E²⁺(g) + e⁻ I₂ = 2nd ionization energy and so forth.