It may be bad news for superman. Scientists have found the formula for kryptonite - almost. Theoretical chemists have found how to synthesize the first binary compounds of krypton and oxygen: a krypton oxide.
Crystals of kryptonite, which is a material deadly to Superman in comic books, were supposedly created within the planet Krypton and therefore most likely under very high pressure. The progenitor of the name "kryptonite" is krypton, which is an element with an atomic number of 36, a noble gas considered to be incapable of forming stable chemical compounds.
"The substance we are predicting is a compound of krypton with not nitrogen, but oxygen," said Patrick Zaleski-Ejgierd of the Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IPC PAS). "In the convention of the comic book it should, therefore, be called not so much kryptonite as kryptoxide. So if Superman's reading this, he can stay calm-at the moment there's no cause for panic! Our krypton monoxide, KrO, probably does not exist in nature. According to current knowledge, deep in the interior of planets, that is, the only place where there is sufficient pressure for its synthesis, oxygen does not exist, nor even more so, does krypton."
Compounds of krypton have been produced before in the lab under cryogenic conditions. They were, however, only single, linear and small molecules of the hydrogen-carbon-krypton-carbon-hydrogen type. In this latest study, the researchers wondered whether there were conditions in which krypton would not only bond with another element, but would be able to form a stable crystal lattice.
"Our computer simulations suggest that crystals of krypton monoxide will be formed at a pressure in the range of 300 to 500 million atmospheres," said Pawe Lata of IPC PAS. "This is a huge pressure, but it can be achieved even in today's laboratories, by skillfully squeezing samples in diamond anvils."
The new findings reveal that it's possible to create this type of molecule through the use of huge pressures. With that said, it's unlikely that this would be found in a natural environment. Because of this, Superman may just be safe to fight again another day.
