Nickel is a silvery-white metal that is solid at room temperature with a melting point of 1455 degrees Celsius. It was discovered in 1751 by Swedish chemist Axel Cronstedt, who originally believed it was copper (Kupfernickel translates to Devil's copper). Nickel is primarily found in ores and its most important properties are its high melting and boiling points. It is used as a catalyst in hydrogenation reactions, in heat regulation, in nuclear reactors, and in producing corrosion-resistant alloys and stainless steel.

1. Nickel
Things You Should Know

2. History
 Name
 Nickel: German
-means “Old Nick” (which also
means Devil).
-Derived from Kupfernickel, meaning
Devil’s Copper

3. History
 Discovery
 It was found in niccolite in 1751.
 Discovered by Swedish Chemist and
Mineralogist, Axel Fredrick Cronstedt, who
first believed it was copper.

4. Properties
 State at Room Temperature: Solid
 Color: Silvery-white
 Melting Point: 1455 degrees Celsius
 Boiling Point: 2913 degrees Celsius
 Density: 8.912g per cubic centimeter

5. Importance of Properties
 Themost important properties are the
melting point and boiling point. This is
because nickel has to be heated and
reduced, as part of the purification
process, before it can be used.

6. Isotopes
 Total: 23
 Stable(5): Ni-58, Ni-60, Ni-61, Ni-62, & Ni-64
 Ni-58 is the most abundant nickel isotope
 Radioactive Isotope Uses: None

7. Availability
 Located:
 Primarily found in ores
(pentlandite, pyrrhotite, garnierite, millerite,
& niccolite)
 Most abundant in Sudbury Region of
Ontario, Canada

8. Availability
 Obtaining it:
 It first must be mined. Then it is roasted and
reduced to a purity of approximately 75%.
From there, the Mond process is used to
purify it further.
 Cost:
 Pure= $7.7 per 100g

9. Uses
 Primary:
 Catalyst for hydrogenation of vegetable
oils, heat regulation, nuclear reactors, solar
engineering, corrosion resistant alloys.
 Major Compounds:
 NiCd(rechargeable batteries), Alnico
Magnets, stainless steel, electric guitar
strings.

10. Other
 Ferromagnetic
 Considered carcinogenic
 Breathing in large amounts of nickel
compounds can lead to chronic
bronchitis and lung & nasal cancers
 Magnetic at room temperature, but
becomes less so as the temperature is
increased.

11. Works Cited
 "Nickel." Chemicool Periodic Table. Chemicool.com. 24
Feb. 2011. Web. 10/31/2011
<http://www.chemicool.com/elements/nickel.html>.
 Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility - Office of
Science EducationLast, . "It's Elemental-The Element
Nickel." Jefferson Lab. Jefferson Lab, 31 Oct 2011. Web.
31 Oct 2011. <http://education.jlab.org/faq/index.html>.
 McPartland, Josh. "Everything About Nickel: History, Invention,
Some Critical Applications, Characteristics &
Significance." How To Stop Sweating So Much. How To
Stop Sweating So Much, 2011. Web. 31 Oct 2011.
<http://howtostopsweatingsomuch.com/articlearchive/?
everything-about-nickel-history-invention-some-critical-
applications-characteristics-significance-1448>.