Initially slated to be only a simple glass cube pumped full of rubidium, a thought was voiced along the lines of “hey, we did it with potassium, couldn’t it work for rubidium too?” The lab had an answer ready for that question, anticipating that it would come up. No, came the response, rubidium is more troublesome because it is too sticky. The method used to form the shape will only result in it tearing apart when pulling it from the mold.

Oh well. Not the first time I’ve heard disappointing news. Carry on then.

But no, that was not the end of it. The provided answer did not apparently sit well with the tech lead. There was this gadget, or that method that might do the trick. Weeks passed and the R&D earmarked for the project went up. What’s going on? This issue’s been settled, no? Why are we getting bills for a dead end project??

Skip to late May, 2024 and upon opening a new shipment of expected restockings, a package with a handwritten “Rb”. What the… NO WAAAAY!!!

:-)

Ok, let’s temper expectations. Each one of these cubes will have a minor defect or two. Unique to this metal, the engraving is embossed in relief as opposed to lasered in or stamped which means that the lettering of this very, very delicate metal might not be perfectly legible. The side walls may have some apparent crackling. The edges a tiny ding here or there. A little discoloration, a tiny pock mark. No cube will be perfect but each is a testament to a project that took the better part of a year to complete. Your cube, the one you get in the mail, might itself have taken hours to complete and the best of half a dozen failures deemed unsellable. The lab tech fudged through a glove box while wearing gloves up to the elbows. Similar, I imagine, to making a perfectly cut cube of butter while the butter dish is still in the fridge. Something like that. Think of all the dirty words spoken in a foreign language blurted out during its making!

Rubidium has a melting point of 103°F (39°C) which can easily be reached in summer, especially in delivery vehicles. Please consider using our express delivery service which come with ice packs or waiting until the temps come down a bit.