Contents |
History
(German Nickel, Satan and from kupfernickel, Old Nick's copper) Cronstedt discovered nickel in 1751 in kupfernickel (niccolite).[1]
Sources
Nickel is found as a constituent in most meteorites and often serves as one of the criteria for distinguishing a meteorite from other minerals. Iron meteorites, or siderites, may contain iron alloyed with from 5 percent to nearly 20 percent nickel. Nickel is obtained commercially from pentlandite and pyrrhotite of the Sudbury region of Ontario, a district that produces about 30 percent of the world's supply of nickel.
Other deposits are found in New Caledonia, Australia, Cuba, Indonesia, and elsewhere.[1]
Properties
| General |
|---|
| Name : nickel |
| Symbol : Ni |
| Atomic Number : 28 |
| Chemical Series : Transition Metal |
| Block, Period : 10, 4 |
| Appearance : lustrous, metallic |
| Atomic Properties |
| Atomic Weight : 58.6934 |
| Covalent Radius (pm) : 121 |
| Physical Properties |
| Matter : solid (ferromagnetic) |
| Density (kg/m3) : 8908 |
| Hardness (Mohs): 4.0 |
| Melting Point (K) : 1728 |
| Boiling Point (K) : 3186 |
| Evaporation Heat (kJ/mol) : 370.4 |
| Fusion Heat (kJ/mol) : 17.47 |
| Specific Heat (J/(kg*K) ) : 440 |
| Miscellaneous |
| Electrical Conductivity (106/m ohm) : 14.3 |
| Thermal Conductivity (W/(m*K) ) : 90.7 |
Nickel is silvery white and takes on a high polish. It is hard, malleable, ductile, somewhat ferromagnetic, and a fair conductor of heat and electricity. It belongs to the iron-cobalt group of metals and is chiefly valuable for the alloys it forms.[1]
Isotopes
The sulfate and the oxides are important compounds. Natural nickel is a mixture of five stable isotopes; nine other unstable isotopes are known.[1]
Handling
Exposure to nickel metal and soluble compounds (as Ni) should not exceed 0.05 mg/cm3 (8-hour time-weighted average per 40-hour work week). Nickel sulfide fume and dust is recognized as being potentially carcinogenic.[1]
Uses
It is extensively used for making stainless steel and other corrosion-resistant alloys such as Invar®, Monel®, Inconel®, and the Hastelloys®. Tubing made of copper-nickel alloy is extensively used in making desalination plants for converting sea water into fresh water.
Nickel, used extensively to make coins and nickel steel for armor plates and burglar-proof vaults, and is also a component in Nichrome®, Permalloy®, and constantan.
Nickel gives glass a greenish color. Nickel plating is often used to provide a protective coating for other metals, and finely divided nickel is a catalyst for hydrogenating vegetable oils. It is also used in ceramics, in the manufacture of Alnico magnets, and in the Edison® storage battery.[1]
Notes
[1] From Los Alamos National Laboratory's Chemistry Division Website
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