Nickel is a silvery white metal that takes on a high polish. It belongs to the transition metals, and is hard and ductile. It occurs most usually in combination with sulphur and iron in pentlandite, with sulphur in millerite, with arsenic in the mineral nickeline, and with arsenic and sulphur in nickel glance. It is clear that in common with massive forms of chromium, aluminium and titanium metal that nickel is very slow to react with air, but it is a very reactive element.

Name: Nickel

Symbol: Ni

Atomic Number: 28

Standard State: Solid at 298 K

Colour: Lustrous, metallic, silvery tinge

Conductor of heat and electricity

Ferro magnetic

Price: Approx. $16 000 per ton

Melting point: 1728 K

Boiling Point: 3186 K

Nickel was discovered in 1751 by Axel Fredrik Cronstedt in Sweden. The name Nickel comes from the German word ‘kuperfernickel’, meaning devils copper or St Nicholas's copper. Minerals containing Nickel were considerd valuable because of their ability to turn glas green. Cronstedt discovered nickle in a mineral called niccolite. He expected to obtain copper, but instead obtained a white metal which he named nickel.

Nickel is used for allows such as stainless steel and other corrosion resistant alloys.

It is used in tubing as a copper-nickel alloy to convert sea water into fresh water.

Used a lot in coinage

Glass colouring

Nickel plating to offer protection from rust and corrosion

Finely divided nickel is a catalyst for hydrogenating vegetable oils.

Batteries and electroplating

Naturally occuring Isotopes:

Ni 58, Ni 60, Ni 61, Ni 62, Ni 64. The more stable Naturall isotopes are used in experiemnts to see how much nickle the body can absorb.

Radio active isotopes:

Ni 56, Ni 57, Ni 59, Ni 63, Ni 65, Ni 66. There are not many uses for radioactive isotopes of Nickel.

Nickel isotopes are used for the production of several radioisotopes. Ni-64 is used for the production of Cu-64 which is used in radioimmunotherapy. Ni-61 can be used for the production of the PET radioisotope Cu-61. Ni-62 is used for the production of the radioisotope Ni-63 which can be used as an XRF source, as an electron capture source in gas chromatographs and as a power source in microelectromechanical systems. Ni-58 can be used for the production of the radioisotope Co-58. Ni-60 is used for the production of Co-57 which is used in bone densitometry and as a gamma camera reference source. Ni-60 is also used as an alternative for the production of Cu-61, but the route via Ni-61 is more common.

Reaction of nickel with the halogensNickel metal does react with fluorine gas, F2, but only slowly. This makes nickel an important metal for containers of fluorine.The dichloride, NiCl2, dibromide, NiBr2,

and diiodide, NiI2, are formed in the reactions of nickel metal and chlorine, Cl2,

bromine, Br2, or iodine, I2.Ni(s) + Cl2(g) → NiCl2(s) [yellow]Ni(s) + Br2(g) → NiBr2(s) [yellow]

Ni(s) + I2(g) → NiI2(s) [black]

Reaction of nickel with acidsNickel metal dissolves slowly in dilute

sulphuric acid to form solutions containing the aquated Ni(II) ion

together with hydrogen gas, H2. In practice, the Ni(II) is present as the

complex ion [Ni(OH2)6]2+.Ni(s) + H2SO4(aq) → Ni2+(aq) +

SO42-(aq) + H2(g)The strongly oxidizing concentrated

nitric acid, HNO3, reacts on the surface of iron and passivates the

surface.

There are not many health hazards concerning Nickel, except for Nickel particles being inhaled. When the particles are inhaled they react with the surface of the throat and can cause severe blisters on the surface of the throat, therefore leading to lose of breathing and potentially fatal outcomes.

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