LinkKaraElementResearchPaper Krypton 1 
CHEMISTRY 4 MRS. ALINGER
ELEMENT RESEARCH PAPER
NOVEMBER 25, 2014
Kara Link
Mrs. Alinger
Chemistry 4
25 November 2014
Krypton: The “Super Element”
When you first hear the word “Krypton”, you may think of the fictional planet that
America’s superhero Superman once called home. However, krypton is also the name of a chemical element here on our own planet Earth. Though it is a rare, unreactive noble gas, krypton does play a significant role in today’s world in ways that are unfamiliar to most
(“Krypton”). Krypton is abbreviated by the chemical symbol Kr and is tasteless, colorless, and odorless (“Krypton”). It is located in group 18 and period 4 on the periodic table (Meadows). 36 protons are found within the nucleus of an atom of krypton, thus it has an atomic number of 36
(Meadows). Krypton’s name was derived from the Greek word kryptos meaning “hidden”, and the use of this word roots from the process that it took to discover krypton: it was “‘hidden’ in the residue after liquid air had nearly boiled away” (Weast and Astle B22). With its historical background, special properties and multitude of uses, krypton is a chemical element that should not be overlooked.
In 1898, Sir William Ramsay and Morris William Travers of University College in
London, England first isolated the element krypton in pure form (Stewart). Ramsay’s previous discoveries of helium and argon are what inadvertently led to the discovery of krypton (Stewart).
Around the time of the discovery, Ramsay and Travers planned to extract a large volume of argon from the air, liquify the argon, and use distillation to discover a lighter element that would
fit between helium and argon (Stewart). Since the two chemists had little experience with liquid gases, they used liquid air to practice the procedure (Stewart). To begin, Ramsay and Travers evaporated the majority of the liquid air and left just 100ml remaining
ELEMENT RESEARCH PAPER
NOVEMBER 25, 2014
Kara Link
Mrs. Alinger
Chemistry 4
25 November 2014
Krypton: The “Super Element”
When you first hear the word “Krypton”, you may think of the fictional planet that
America’s superhero Superman once called home. However, krypton is also the name of a chemical element here on our own planet Earth. Though it is a rare, unreactive noble gas, krypton does play a significant role in today’s world in ways that are unfamiliar to most
(“Krypton”). Krypton is abbreviated by the chemical symbol Kr and is tasteless, colorless, and odorless (“Krypton”). It is located in group 18 and period 4 on the periodic table (Meadows). 36 protons are found within the nucleus of an atom of krypton, thus it has an atomic number of 36
(Meadows). Krypton’s name was derived from the Greek word kryptos meaning “hidden”, and the use of this word roots from the process that it took to discover krypton: it was “‘hidden’ in the residue after liquid air had nearly boiled away” (Weast and Astle B22). With its historical background, special properties and multitude of uses, krypton is a chemical element that should not be overlooked.
In 1898, Sir William Ramsay and Morris William Travers of University College in
London, England first isolated the element krypton in pure form (Stewart). Ramsay’s previous discoveries of helium and argon are what inadvertently led to the discovery of krypton (Stewart).
Around the time of the discovery, Ramsay and Travers planned to extract a large volume of argon from the air, liquify the argon, and use distillation to discover a lighter element that would
fit between helium and argon (Stewart). Since the two chemists had little experience with liquid gases, they used liquid air to practice the procedure (Stewart). To begin, Ramsay and Travers evaporated the majority of the liquid air and left just 100ml remaining
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