The Role of Krypton in Comics

Krypton is an element that is used in the fictional comics for Supergirl, and Superman. Other than being the fictional planet superman was born on, it is also a noble gas on the periodic table of elements. The discoverers of krypton were none other than Sir William Ramsay, a Scottish Chemist, and Morris M. Travers who is an English Chemist. This element can be used in different types of photographic flashes and also high speed photography. Though people think that krypton is only used for Superman’s weakness it is used for a lot of other things.

Krypton is a rare and expensive gas that has a limited amount of use. Krypton can be found in the air we breathe, this gas is colorless and odorless.

When people hear the word krypton their minds jump straight to the Superman and Supergirl comics. This is because Jerry Siegel used this gas as the only weakness for the two iconic superheroes. Although we think of Superman and Supergirl as heros they were actually first thought of as villians.

This would have made sense being that there is only one thing in the world that can kill them. It kind of makes you wonder how he came up with the idea of using krypton as the weakness. The substance kryptonite is a direct product from the fictional planet Krypton ( kryptonite is not the same thing as krypton, and is a fictional substance). In the year 1940 when the idea of krypton was stirring mind, Jerry took the chance to use this chemical in his stories.

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When Superman has an encounter with Kryptonite he begins to lose his powers and becomes fragile like a human being, and when exposed for too long he could risk dying. The radio put out a story about kryptonite called the K-metal story after the two authors released the comics.

Getting back to the real world now, we are going to talk about the creators and how they found the iconic element Krypton. Sir William Ramsay and Morris M. Travers discovered this element partially on accident when they were studying liquified air. This element was partially discovered on accident. They discovered small particles of the element after the volatile components of the liquid air evaporated. With further research they concluded that the our atmosphere is 0.0001% krypton. This element was partially discovered on accident. They found that the shell of the element was made completely of electrons. When the chemists were trying to find a lighter element to go between argon and helium, they ended up over evaporating the substance and found a heavier element now known as krypton. Since krypton is not lighter than argon but heavier, they decided that the name krypton fit since it means “hidden” in Greek.

Krypton is used in quite a few things that we use everyday. Although we don’t realize it, when a photographer uses his/her flash krypton helps produce the light. It is produced when electricity is sent through the gas, then giving off an extremely bright light. Not only is krypton used in photography, it is used in some lamps and the lights you see on the side of an airport. In the lights at the airport, they lights do not just sit and burn they are stopping and starting again. These lights are used on the runway when it is foggy, and can be seen in these conditions up to 300 meters. The pulses in the light last no more than 10 microseconds, the lights continue to blink in that same pattern while they are on. One other thing that krypton is used in is neon lights. When the neon light has krypton in it the light will be a bright yellow or green color.

Krypton has some really cool characteristics that make it such an iconic element. In solid form, krypton gives off the color white with crystal like features. When in the light spectrum krypton will have a brilliant green and orange looking color. As told in the intro this element is odorless, and colorless in gas form. This element/ gas is so far considered to be a non-toxic element. Being more scientific, when krypton is in the state of gas, the boiling point is 119.4k (-153.2℃), while the melting point is 115.9k (-157.3℃) in gas form. The atomic volume 38.9cm³/mol, and the atomic weight 83.80 in solid form. The thermal conductivity is 0.01 W m^-1 k^-1, while the electrical conductivity of krypton is S cm ^-1. There is no oxide, hydride, or chloride compounds in the element krypton. This element does not react with air, 15 M HNO3 (nitric acid), 6 M HCI ( hydrochloric acid), or 6 M NaOH (sodium hydroxide).

In conclusion, krypton is an interesting element that has much to learn about. The Superman and Supergirl comics have lead to many questions about krypton. This element is incredible, from the way it is used in our everyday lives to having some pretty neat characteristics. It is such a riveting element that reacts with almost nothing and is non-toxic so far. Krypton has some features that are still being discovered. This is an element of many factors that could potentially have great outcomes. Something else that will grab your attention is that the density of krypton is 3.64 grams per liter! THis makes krypton nearly 2.8 times the density of the air we breathe. Something that is fascinating to think about is that Jerry Siegel was not far off on the color in the solid form. In his comics the colors were green, and in reality the colors of the solid state of krypton are white or crystal like with hints of bright orange and green. In the future we will see amazing things that scientist have discovered about krypton.