Krypton is a colourless, odourless and tasteless noble gas that occurs in very small amounts in our atmosphere. Let us learn about some uses of krypton through this article.

Krypton (Kr) is an inert gas with atomic number 38 and atomic mass number 83.798 u. Below is the list of industries using a krypton (Kr).

• Fluorescent lights and lamps

• Photography

• Lasers

• Nuclear reactions

• Propulsion systems

• Insulation

• Calorimetry

We will discuss the key uses of krypton and its compounds in different industries in the article below.

Fluorescent lights and lamps

• Kr when combined with mercury, produces a luminescence light of greenish-blue colour.

• Krypton-Argon gas-filled fluorescent lights are energy efficient but have lower light intensity with an increased cost.

• Xenon along with Kr, is used in incandescent lamps to reduce the evaporation of filaments.

Photography

• Kr is found in some photographic flashes for high-speed photography.

• Krypton emits multiple spectral lines, making it white, which is why it is used in white-coloured photography.

Lasers

• Lasers are made from Kr because of its greater intensity of light.

• Krypton fluoride laser is employed for nuclear fusion research in confinement experiments.

Nuclear reactions

Kr-85 was earlier used to detect clandestine nuclear fuel reprocessing facilities.

Propulsion systems

Spacecrafts uses krypton as a fuel as mentioned-

• Krypton works as a propellent in the electronic propulsion system of SpaceX Starlink.

• Kr-85 produces consistent ionization levels and uniform operation in the sealed spark plug assemblies of jet engines.

Insulation

Krypton works as an insulating gas between the gaps in window panes.

Calorimetry

Liquid Kr is useful for manufacturing quasi-homogeneous electromagnetic calorimeters.

Krypton difluoride uses

Krypton difluoride is the first compound discovered of Kr. KrF₂ is a colourless and volatile solid with a linear structure like CO₂. Let us read some industrial uses of KrF₂.

Krypton difluoride is only used for certain industries as discussed below:

• Oxidation process

• Synthesisation

Oxidation process

KrF₂, an oxidising agent, can oxidise chlorine and bromine up to +5 oxidation states.

Synthesisation

KrF₂ synthesises the compounds like XeF₂, AgF₂ and AuF₂.

7KrF₂ (g) + 2Au (s) = 2KrF⁺AuF₆^– (s) + 5Kr (g) 

3KrF₂+ Xe → XeF₆ + 3Kr

Conclusion:

This article concludes that krypton is a highly rare and expensive noble gas. Kr generally has no compound, but KrF₂ was the first compound to be discovered from Kr. Kr is mainly used in fluorescent lighting and modern technologies.