{"id":316,"date":"2020-04-09T10:36:08","date_gmt":"2020-04-09T10:36:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thechemicalelements.com\/?page_id=316"},"modified":"2023-08-15T12:05:23","modified_gmt":"2023-08-15T12:05:23","slug":"nickel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thechemicalelements.com\/nickel\/","title":{"rendered":"Nickel (Ni)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Nickel is a chemical element with the atomic number 28 in the periodic table. It\u2019s found in Earth\u2019s crust with an abundance of 84 parts per million by weight. Being a member of the transition metals family of the periodic table, this divalent silvery-white metallic element has strong corrosion resistance and moderately strong ferromagnetic properties.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Chemical and Physical Properties of Nickel<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Property<\/strong><\/td>Value<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
The symbol in the periodic table of elements<\/td>Ni<\/td><\/tr>
Name<\/td>Nickel<\/td><\/tr>
Atomic number<\/td>28<\/td><\/tr>
Atomic weight (mass)<\/td>58.6934 g.mol-1<\/td><\/tr>
Group number<\/td>10 (Transition metals)<\/td><\/tr>
Period<\/td>4 (d-block)<\/td><\/tr>
Color<\/td>A silvery-white metal<\/td><\/tr>
Physical state<\/td>Solid at 20\u00b0C<\/td><\/tr>
Half-life<\/td>From 10 milliseconds [>500 nanoseconds] to 100.1 years<\/td><\/tr>
Electronegativity according to Pauling<\/td>1.91<\/td><\/tr>
Density<\/td>8.90 g.cm-3<\/td><\/tr>
Melting point<\/td>1728\u00b0C, 2651\u00b0F, 1728 K<\/td><\/tr>
Boiling point<\/td>3193\u00b0C, 5275\u00b0F, 3193 K<\/td><\/tr>
Van der Waals radius<\/td>163 pm<\/td><\/tr>
Ionic radius<\/td>0.69 (+2) \u00c5<\/td><\/tr>
Isotopes<\/td>32<\/td><\/tr>
Most characteristic isotope<\/td>58Ni<\/td><\/tr>
Electronic shell<\/td>[Ar] 3d8 4s2<\/td><\/tr>
Valence<\/td>0,1,2,3<\/td><\/tr>
Crystal Structure<\/td>Cubic: Face centered<\/td><\/tr>
Covalent Radius<\/td>1.15 \u00c5<\/td><\/tr>
Atomic Radius<\/td>1.62 \u00c5<\/td><\/tr>
Atomic Volume<\/td>06.59 cm\u00b3\/mol<\/td><\/tr>
Uses<\/td>Used in electroplating and metal alloys because of its resistance to corrosion. Also in nickel-cadmium batteries; as a catalyst and for coins.<\/td><\/tr>
Description<\/td>Malleable, ductile, reddish-brown metal.<\/td><\/tr>
Name Origin<\/td>German: kupfernickel (false copper).<\/td><\/tr>
Discovery date<\/td>1751 by Axel Cronstedt<\/td><\/tr>
Location<\/td>Sweden<\/td><\/tr>
Pronounced<\/td>NIK-l<\/td><\/tr>
Oxydation States<\/td>(2),3<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

With the periodic table symbol Ni, atomic number 28, atomic mass of 58.693 g.mol<\/span>-1<\/span>, and electron configuration [Ar]3d<\/span>8<\/span>4s<\/span>2<\/span>, nickel is a hard and ductile metal with a silvery-white color. It reaches its boiling point at 2913\u00b0C, 5275\u00b0F, 3186 K, while the melting point is achieved at 1455\u00b0C, 2651\u00b0F, 1728 K. This member of the transition metals group in the periodic table has an electronegativity of 1.91 according to Pauling, whereas the atomic radius according to van der Waals is 163 pm. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Resembling the properties of its periodic table neighbors – iron and cobalt <\/a>– the nickel metal also possesses strong magnetic and anti-corrosive properties. Namely, it\u2019s ferromagnetic at room temperature and resists corrosion even at high temperatures.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

How Was Nickel Discovered?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Since nickel has been brought to Earth by the meteorites, we can freely say that this chemical element has been around for ages. The first evidence of this silvery metal with a slightly golden tinge dates from 200 BC. Namely, a zinc<\/a>-nickel alloy called \u2018<\/span>pai-t\u2019ung\u2019<\/span><\/i> (white copper<\/a>) has been widely used in ancient China for manufacturing various artifacts that did not rust. For the Peruvians, nickel was \u201ca type of silver\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some sources claim even <\/span>earlier use<\/span><\/a> of nickel by the ancient civilizations. According to a survey published by the <\/span>American Journal of Archeology<\/span><\/a>, nickel beads have been found in graves located in Egypt, believed to have been made from metallic meteorites.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the 1600s, a copper-resembling dark red ore was traced by copper miners in Saxony, Germany. Due to their inability to isolate the metal substance from the ore, the miners thought that those types of ores were possessed by the goblin that made it hard for them to obtain the metal. Due to this, they labeled the substance \u201ckupfernickel\u201d, i.e. \u201cgoblin\u2019s copper\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The Discovery of Axel Fredrik Cronstedt<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In 1751, the Swedish mineralogist and chemist Axel Fredrik Cronstedt (1722 \u2013 1765) focused his chemical investigations on a new mineral sample obtained from a mine in Los, H\u00e4lsingland, Sweden. It was the same type of ore that puzzled the copper miners from Saxony – the \u201ckupfernickel\u201d (i.e. nickel arsenide, NiAs). Due to the reddish-golden streak in the ore, Cronstedt believed that there really might be some copper in the compound. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After conducting numerous chemical experiments, Cronstedt observed that the new substance has strong magnetic properties which did not correspond to the weak magnetic strength of copper. This led him to the conclusion that he had discovered a new chemical element. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The Contribution of Torbern Bergman<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The pure, elemental form of nickel was isolated in 1775 by the Swedish mineralogist and chemist Torbern Bergman (1735 \u2013 1784). Namely, Bergman was the first scientist who succeeded in isolating the pure nickel metal from what other scientists thought was an alloy of cobalt, arsenic, iron, and copper. By this, he also confirmed the chemical properties of the new element, which classified element 28 as a new member of Mendeleev\u2019s periodic table.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

How Did Nickel Get Its Name?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Cronstedt himself named the newly discovered element \u2018nickel\u2019, which is short from the term \u2018kupfernickel\u2019 – the ore from which he succeeded to obtain the new substance.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Where Can You Find Nickel?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Hundreds of millions of years ago, our planet has been \u2018showered\u2019 with meteors containing iron. According to <\/span>Washington University at St. Louis<\/span><\/a>, almost 95% of the meteors have been composed of the iron-nickel (FeNi) metal compound. Nowadays, this chemical element naturally occurs in air, soil, and waters. It\u2019s an essential trace element for some animals and plants, while our body requires an extremely small quantity of it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Classified as a transition metal, this chemical is most often obtained from iron\/nickel sulfides, such as pentlandite, garnierite, and nickeliferous limonite. For commercial purposes, the nickel carbonyl process is used to purify nickel extracted from nickel ores, such as laterites and magmatic sulfide deposits.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since nickel mainly occurs in Earth\u2019s iron-nickel core, it\u2019s relatively inaccessible. The organic substances that also occur in the deeper layer of Earth, such as oil and coal, absorb nickel in large amounts. Element 28 can be frequently traced along with sulphur and arsenic in nickel glance, with arsenic <\/a>in niccolite, and with sulphur in millerite. The largest nickel-mining areas in the world are located in Canada, Australia, South Africa, Cuba, Indonesia, New Caledonia in the Pacific, and Russia.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

List of Nickel Minerals<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The following is a list presenting the wide range of minerals in which the naturally occurring nickel can be traced:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n