Krypton

Its main use in is neon lights, in which it is used to make a pale violet, and is often used for airport runway lights. Since it also has a fast response time to electric currents, it is often used with xenon in high-intensity, sort exposure photographic flash bulbs and in strobe lights.

In 1960 an international commitee decided to use the wavelength of one of the colors of krypton-86 to define the meter. A meter was exactly 1,650,762.73 wavelengths of the red-orange spectral line of krypton-86.
The meter has since been redefined as ¹/_299,792,458 of the distance light (in a vacuum) travels in a second.

Symbol: Kr
Atomic number: 36
Atomic weight: 83.80
Density (at 0°C with 101,325 pascals): 3.7 g/L
Melting point: -156.6°C
Boiling point: -152.3°C
Valence: 0
Ground state electron configuration: [Ar]3d¹⁰4s²4p⁶

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Kryp"ton (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. &?; , neut. of &?; hidden.] (Chem.)

An inert gaseous element of the argon group, occurring in air to the extent of about one volume in a million. It was discovered by Ramsay and Travers in 1898. Liquefying point, -- 152° C.; symbol, Kr; atomic weight, 83.0.

© Webster 1913.