Nickel By William Gunn

Discovery The use of Nickel dated back to ancient times in about 3500 BC. Bronzes from present day Syria had a nickel content of up to 2%. Across the globe, nickel was also found in China. There are Chinese manuscripts suggesting that white copper (baitung) was used in the Oriental periods between 1700 and 1400 BC. Nickel ore and silver ore were easily mistaken, so the knowledge we have for this element comes more from present day, then ancient times.

How it was named? In 1751, Baron Axe Fredrik Cronstedt was attempting to extract copper from kupfernickel (niccolite), and obtained instead a white metal that he called nickel 

Characteristics Nickel is a silvery white metal that can be polished. It belongs to the transition metals, and is hard and ductile. Nickel is inert to oxidation, so it is used in coins, for plating iron, brass, etc... The greatest value is for the alloys it forms, especially many “super alloys”, especially stainless steel. Nickel is one of the five ferromagnetic elements. However, the U.S. "nickel" coin is not magnetic, because it actually is mostly (75%) copper.

Sources of the Element The bulk of the nickel mined comes from two types of ore deposits. The first are “laterites where the principal ore minerals are nickeliferous limonite: (Fe, Ni)O(OH) and garnierite (a hydrous nickel silicate): (Ni, Mg)3Si2O5(OH).” The other type of ore deposits are magmatic sulfide deposits. The principal ore mineral of this type is pentlandite: (Ni, Fe)9S8

Uses Minerals containing nickel were used, in past times, for coloring glass green Present day, nickel has many uses in industry. Nickel is first and foremost an alloy metal, and its main use is in the nickel steels and nickel cast irons

Present Day Distribution of Nickel Nickel Steels 60%, Nickel-Copper Alloys and Nickel Silver 14%, Malleable Nickel, Nickel Clad and Inconel 9%, Plating 6%, Nickel Cast Irons 3%, Heat and Electric Resistance Alloys 3%, Nickel Brasses and Bronzes 2%, Others 3%

Scientific Details Number of Energy Levels: 4 First Energy Level: 2 Second Energy Level: 8 Third Energy Level: 16 Fourth Energy Level: 2 Name: Nickel Symbol: Ni Atomic Number: 28 Atomic Mass: amu Melting Point: °C ( K, °F) Boiling Point: °C ( K, °F) Number of Protons/Electrons: 28 Number of Neutrons: 31 Classification: Transition Metal Crystal Structure: Cubic 293 K: g/cm3 Color: white

Citation Sheet "nickel." Wikipedia. Wikipedia, Answers.com 30 May "nickel." Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., Answers.com 30 May "nickel." McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology. The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., Answers.com 30 May

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