1898: Krypton - The book of science

Krypton
Atomic number 36
Sounds mysterious
Commentary

London—William Ramsay, Morris Travers elements

Krypton

The hidden one
didn’t mingle
but William Ramsay
and Morris Travers
teased it out
of liquid air.

Atomic number 36

Six stable isotopes
produce yellow, green, a blur of white
for flash photography
With xenon krypton fills
incandescent light bulbs
to reduce evaporation of filaments
Instead of neon in neon lights
stained blue, green, yellow,
orange, red, and pink.

Sounds mysterious

Sounds mysterious,
secretive, encrypted
threatening sci-fi horror.
Krypton-85 in the atmosphere
signifies secret nuclear weapon
research or production.

William Ramsay and Morris Travers were looking in liquid air for a new element lighter than argon. After they found krypton, heaver than argon, they kept looking until they found neon.