The key difference between krypton and argon is that krypton is comparatively expensive and less readily available, but a better insulating gas. Whereas argon is cheap and more readily available, but a moderately insulating gas.
Argon and krypton are useful as a substitute for the air between panes of glass to increase insulation and energy efficiency. Both these are odorless, colorless, and non-toxic inert gases.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Krypton
3. What is Argon
4. Krypton vs Argon in Tabular Form
5. Summary – Krypton vs Argon
What is Krypton?
Krypton is a chemical element having the symbol Kr and atomic number 36. It belongs to group 18 and period 4 and can be found as a p-block element. This chemical element is a colorless gas but appears in white color in an electric field. It is a tasteless noble gas that exists in the atmosphere in trace amounts. Often, this gas is used with fluorescent lamps along with other rare gases. Typically, krypton gas is chemically inert.
When considering the characteristics of krypton, it has several sharp emission lines as spectral signatures and the strongest being green and yellow. This gas is one of the products obtained from uranium fission. However, the solid-state of krypton is white, and it has a face-centered cubic crystal structure. It is a common property of all noble gases except helium.
The oxidation state at which we can find krypton is 0. This is because it is a noble gas. However, it can form +1 and +2 oxidation states which are rarely found. At the 0 oxidation state, it cannot form chemical compounds with other elements. The compounds containing this chemical element can be found in +2 state, e.g. KrF2.
Krypton is highly unreactive similar to other noble gases. This is because the scandide contraction limits the oxidation of 4p elements to the oxidation state of the group to which the element belongs. However, in 1962, krypton difluoride was produced after the discovery of the production of xenon compounds. Naturally, krypton occurs in the atmosphere at 1ppm concentration. We can extract it from fractional distillation.
What is Argon?
Argon is a chemical element having the symbol Ar and atomic number 18. It occurs as a group 18 chemical element and thus is considered a noble gas. This gas is the 3rd most abundant gas in the atmosphere of the Earth. Its concentration lies around 0.934%. Therefore, it is twice more abundant as the water vapor in the atmosphere.
Argon appears as a colorless gas that exhibits a lilac/violet glow upon placing it in an electric field. It is a p block element, and the electron configuration is [Ne]3s23p6. The melting point is -189.34 degrees Celsius, and the boiling point is -185.84 degrees Celsius. The density can be given as 1.784 g/cm3. Naturally, this substance occurs in the primordial state, and the crystal structure is face-centered cubic.
The solubility of argon is similar to that of oxygen in the water. It is about 2.5 times more soluble in water than nitrogen. Typically, this gas is non-flammable, non-toxic, and odorless. It is chemically inert, and it can form some compounds under extreme conditions.
What is the Difference Between Krypton and Argon?
Krypton and argon are two important noble gases with different chemical and physical properties with different applications. The key difference between krypton and argon is that krypton is comparatively expensive, not readily available, but a better insulating gas, whereas argon is cheap, more readily available, but a moderately insulating gas.
The below infographic presents the differences between krypton and argon in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.
Summary – Krypton vs Argon
Krypton is a chemical element having the symbol Kr and atomic number 36. Argon is a chemical element having the symbol Ar and atomic number 18. The key difference between krypton and argon is that krypton is comparatively expensive and not readily available, but a better insulating gas. Meanwhile, argon is cheap and more readily available, but it is a moderately insulating gas.
Reference:
1. “Krypton.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Krypton hydride crystal” By Annette K. Kleppe et al. – (CC BY 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Argon ice 1” By Deglr6328~commonswiki assumed (based on copyright claims)- No machine-readable source provided. Own work assumed (based on copyright claims) (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia