Krypton, derived from the Greek word Kryptos, meaning hidden, is abundant in the atmosphere in tiny amounts. It has an atomic mass of 83.80 and an atomic radius of 1.03 Angstrom.

In 1898, Sir William Ramsay successfully isolated krypton from a mixture of noble gases by fractional distillation.

Krypton is a monatomic gas, which emits an orange-red colour in a vacuum tube. It has a melting point of 83.81K and a boiling point of 87.30K. It is generally abundant in the atmosphere to the extent of 1 part per million. Krypton has a cubic-faced centred crystal structure.

Compounds of Krypton have been known as early as 1962. Krypton can be used alone or with other noble gases such as argon in incandescent bulbs. Its other main use is as an inert atmosphere. Krypton is prepared from a mixture of noble gases by fractional distillation.

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