Krypton (Kr)
"The Hidden Hero, an elusive and noble hero, often mistaken for a superhero's one weakness."
A memorable persona to anchor Kr in your mind.
3.749
Grams per cm³
-157.37
Celsius (°C)
202
Radius (pm)
Daily Life Link
Krypton is found in the high-intensity gas inside an airport runway light.
Discovery & History
Year Discovered
1898
Discovered By
William Ramsay & Morris Travers
Origin of Name
"The name is derived from the Greek ''kryptos'', meaning hidden."
Technical Properties
Atomic Mass
83.798 u
Standard State
gas
Boiling Point
-153.415°C
Electron Configuration
[Ar] 3d104s24p6
1st Ionization Energy
14 eV
Electron Affinity
N/A
Oxidation States
"Krypton is a colorless, odorless, tasteless inert gas."
Did You Know?
Its name comes from the Greek word 'kryptos', meaning 'the hidden one', because it was difficult to find and isolate.
Krypton is famously associated with Superman's home planet, although the real element has no connection to the comic book hero.
From 1960 to 1983, the official length of a meter was defined in terms of the wavelength of light emitted by krypton-86 atoms.
When an electric current is passed through krypton gas, it produces a smoky-white light, which is used in high-powered "halogen" headlights and photographic flashes.