Chemists Have Found a New Element to “Brighten”
Up the Field!
In today’s world, there’s a large supply of elements from which chemists can choose. How does one choose, you may ask. You must first see how many practical uses can be found with the element. You must then consider quantity and hazardous effects to living organisms. Though many elements boast a wide array of uses, a newcomer has come to the forefront: Krypton.
Krypton is a gaseous element at room temperature and a member of the noble gas family. It is colorless and odorless. As a solid, it is a white crystalline substance with a face-centered cubic shape. It has a boiling point of 119.7 K and a melting point of 116.6 K, which gives it a very limited temperature range for which it can be liquidated.
Krypton was first discovered in 1898 by Sir William Ramsay and his assistant M.W. Travers of Britain. They discovered it by accident, while separating liquid air. They noticed something as they were coming back from there lunch break, but it was still somewhat hidden in the liquid. Hence the name Krypton, which is Greek for hidden.
You’ve probably already come in contact with Krypton, though you may not have realized it. A small percentage (1ppm) of air is composed of Krypton. Mars also contains a small amount of Krypton. Unlike what is popularized by comic books, such as Superman, Krypton is quite harmless and unreactive. It’s characterized by its brilliant green and orange spectral lines. It was almost named Eosium, which is Greek for dawn, because its spectra looked like the Aurora Borealis.
Now that you know what Krypton is, you may be curious as to what sets it apart from the other elements. Krypton has a variety of uses that significantly improve everyday life. Krypton is used in lamps and certain photographic flash lamps for high-speed photography. Contrary to these everyday uses, Krypton has significant scientific importance. It is used in UV lasers, which are quickly coming to the head of scientific use. Whether in medical or military use, Krypton based lasers are becoming the future of technology.
Krypton is also used by NASA as a fuel source for space flight. With more planned space missions in the future, this will prove to be an important resource for many shuttle crews. Krypton has even more uses when mixed with other elements. For example, when mixed with Argon, Krypton is used in the manufacturing of windows for a higher level of thermal efficiency.
Krypton is a powerful tool in measurements as well. In 1960 it was internationally agreed that the fundamental unit of length (m) should be defined in terms of the orange-red spectra line of 86Kr.
Unfortunately, uses thus far have been limited because of its high cost. Krypton is approximately $30/1. However, the price is well worth it. With its many uses and the long term benefits, Krypton is a smart buy. As of now, the only ways to produce Krypton are by separating liquid air and uranium fission. As technology grows, newer, more efficient ways of extracting Krypton will be found. Krypton is a smart investment for any chemist, and its uses will continue to expand as technology improves.
