Krypton | |
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Properties | |
Atomic symbol | Kr |
Atomic number | 36 |
Classification | Noble Gas |
Atomic mass | 83.8 amu |
Number of Stable Isotopes | 6 |
Density (grams per cc) | .0037493 g/cm^3 |
Other Information | |
Date of discovery | 1898 |
Name of discoverer | Sir William Ramsay and M. W. Travers |
Name origin | From the Greek word kryptos, hidden |
Uses | Lighting and scientific standards |
Obtained from | Production of liquid air |
Krypton is an element in the "noble gas" class (or "inert gas") of the periodic table. It is colorless and odorless. It is almost (but not completely) chemically inert. Its density as a gas (at standard temperature and pressure) is .0037493 g/cm^3, about 3 times that of air. As a solid (below 116 degrees K) its density is 2.823 g/cm^3.
It is noteworthy in that, between 1960 and 1983, one of its spectral lines was used as the official scientific definition of length—1 meter was 1650763.73 wavelengths. (Prior to that, the meter was defined as the distance between two lines scratched on the "International Standard Meter stick". Since 1983, the unit of length has been defined in terms of time.)
Periodic Table of the Elements | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | |||||||
36
Kr 83.8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
*Lanthanides | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
**Actinides | ||||||||||||||||||||||||