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36Kr83.80

Element 36, a noble gas

Krypton

A hidden noble gas that once defined the length of a meter, and that does, reluctantly, form a few compounds.

At a glance

Symbol
Kr
Atomic number
36
Average atomic mass
83.80
Group
18
Period
4
Family
noble gas
Electron configuration
[Ar] 3d¹⁰ 4s² 4p⁶
Valence electrons
8
Electronegativity
3.00

On the table

Periodic table with Krypton highlighted123456789101112131415161718123456757-7189-103HHeLiBeBCNOFNeNaMgAlSiPSClArKCaScTiVCrMnFeCoNiCuZnGaGeAsSeBrKrRbSrYZrNbMoTcRuRhPdAgCdInSnSbTeIXeCsBaLaCePrNdPmSmEuGdTbDyHoErTmYbLuHfTaWReOsIrPtAuHgTlPbBiPoAtRnFrRaAcThPaUNpPuAmCmBkCfEsFmMdNoLrRfDbSgBhHsMtDsRgCnNhFlMcLvTsOg

Period 4, group 18. The other noble gases are tinted, and every cell opens its own article.

Electrons and bonding

Kr

A full valence shell, so krypton is very unreactive. Under extreme conditions it does form a few compounds with fluorine, such as krypton difluoride.

Properties

State at 25 °C
gas
What it looks like
colorless, odorless gas
Melting point
−157.4 °C
Boiling point
−153.2 °C
Density
3.73 g/L at 0 °C and 1 atm

Where it is found

About 1 part per million of air, collected when air is liquefied and separated.

Discovery and name

William Ramsay and Morris Travers found it in May 1898 in the last traces left after liquid air evaporated, weeks before they found neon and xenon. They named it from the Greek kryptos, hidden.

What it is used for

Insulating gas in energy-efficient windows, some fluorescent and high-performance lamps, camera flashes, and krypton fluoride lasers for research. From 1960 to 1983 the meter was defined by the wavelength of orange-red light given off by krypton-86.

In compounds

KrF₂krypton difluoride, a very strong oxidizer