Discover the Wonders of Krypton: Top 12 Exciting and Surprising Fun Facts!

1. Krypton: The Meter Master

Lo and behold the unsung hero of measurement, Krypton - a timid party guest as it's a noble gas, but most definitely not "nobly quiet": This chummy element played a highly distinguished role in the world of units between 1960 and 1983, providing the foundation for the official definition of a meter, based on the wavelength of one spectral line of krypton-86.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

2. Speed-of-Light Club Member

Before it was cool to say, "Meters? We don't need no stinking meters!", Krypton was already in the speed-of-light club: Used between 1960 and 1983, Krypton's spectral line served as the basis for accurately measuring the length of a meter, before being replaced by a definition relying on the speed of light.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

Did you know neon signs found their colorful origins in a 19th-century scientific quest? Discover the intriguing story of how neon came to glow in our world.

=> Fun Facts about Neon

3. Fabergé Egg of Window Gases

Why did Krypton gas cross the road? To get to the triple-pane window on the other side, of course! But its high cost to produce makes it the Fabergé egg of window gases: Although krypton performs best in a 1/4 to 3/8 inch space between panes and is more effective at stopping thermal energy transfer than argon gas, according to a study by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, krypton-filled windows can be up to 300% more expensive than double-pane argon-filled windows. No wonder argon is the go-to choice for those looking to keep the cold out without breaking the bank!
Source => advancedwindowsusa.com

4. Krypton's Flirty Fluoride

If krypton were the life of the party, it would swoop in wearing an invisible cloak, leaving no trace of its presence except for its one-powerful trick up its sleeve: its flirtation with fluoride has given birth to roles in star-studded fusion research and flashy lithography performances. Unveiling the talent: krypton may be a seemingly aloof noble gas, but it can form krypton fluoride, leading to influential applications like the krypton fluoride laser, benefiting both lighting and photography industries.
Source => rsc.org

5. Chemist's Best Friend and Meter Definer

Krypton: not just Superman's extraterrestrial hometown, but also a clever gas that snuck into our lives in 1898, earning a Nobel for one lucky chemist and redefining the meter with its radiant personality until 1983. Today, it fearlessly snuggles within our atmosphere at a cozy 1 part per million, humbly radiating indifference to our mundane affairs: This inert gas, discovered by the brainy British duo William Ramsay and Morris Travers, was a shining star in the world of chemistry when its isotope, 86Kr, served as the reference point for the meter, all thanks to its emitted light wavelength. But, much like a temperamental celebrity, it bowed out of the limelight when in 1983 the meter got a technological makeover, shifting its definition to a speed-of-light equation.
Source => acs.org

6. Superman's Inhaled Sidekick

If Superman huffed and puffed to fill his lungs with Earth's atmosphere, he'd inhale only a teeny weeny bit of his namesake gas—but enough to leave windows less chilly and microchips zippier: Krypton, a noble gas found in scanty amounts, brings insulation smarts to windows, brilliant lights to streets, and snazzy technology to semiconductor industries, etching its way into our daily lives through microchips, lasers, and plasma display panels.
Source => airproducts.com

7. Krypton: The Noble Party Animal

Move over, laughing gas, there's a new party animal in town: Krypton, a nobly inert gas, can actually induce narcosis more potently than nitrogen—causing anesthesia under hyperbaric conditions at a pressure of 4.5 atm and even showcasing potential as a neuroprotective agent!
Source => ccforum.biomedcentral.com

8. Strobe Light Extraordinaire

Ever feel like you're constantly in a strobe light, stuck in a science-fiction rave from the last century? Well, chances are it's just the noble Krypton making your world a bit brighter: This fantastic gas isn't just the name of Superman's home planet; it's also used in high intensity discharge lamps, perfect for industrial strobes, printing, signaling, and even high-speed photography, with light pulses lasting as short as microseconds!
Source => globalspec.com

9. Turkey-Tested Vision Savers

Who knew we had Turkey to thank for 20/20 vision? LASIK, the popular eye surgery, has a little birdie to thank for its development: Krypton, the gas used in the excimer laser, was first tested on turkey tissue samples, resulting in clean and precise cuts with minimal damage to surrounding tissue, ultimately revolutionizing the way we correct nearsightedness and astigmatism!
Source => ibm.com

10. Non-Renewable Gas Struggles

If you think you've got gas problems, wait until you hear about krypton: this elusive noble gas is sourced from air and used in window insulation and lighting, but it's not considered a renewable resource due to its low concentrations in the environment and manufacturing process in Air Separation Units.
Source => airproducts.com

11. Krypton's Unfulfilled Bromance

Krypton, the enigmatic relative of Superman's home planet, not only left the Man of Steel weak in the knees, but would also have us believe that it forged thrilling alliances with fluorine: krypton difluoride is, however, the sole truth as the noble gas's bromance with fluorine never materialized beyond this point - leaving Linus Pauling's dream of krypton hexafluoride as mere science fiction!
Source => en.wikipedia.org

12. Asteroids: Mars' Cosmic Delivery Service

Before Mars had a chance to hit the cosmic grocery store, asteroids were already doing the delivery: Krypton isotopes found in the ancient Chassigny meteorite revealed that volatile elements, like hydrogen and oxygen, were brought to Mars by asteroids before the Sun fully formed, debunking previous theories around our neighboring planet's evolution.
Source => vice.com