Nickel
Elemental
Nickel
Ni
Atomic No. - 28
Naturally occurring nickel is composed of five stable isotopes;
58-Ni, 60-Ni, 61-Ni, 62-Ni and 64-Ni with 58-Ni being the most
abundant one.
The History Says
The first nickel coin of the pure metal was made in 1881.
The Present Scenario
Nickel is extracted from its ores by conventional roasting and
reduction processes which yield a metal of >95% purity. Final
purification to >99.99% purity is performed by reacting nickel and
carbon monoxide to form nickel carbonyl.
Nickel
is a silvery white metal which takes on a high polish. It belongs to
iron group and is hard, ductile and malleable. In nature it occurs
combined with sulfur in millerite. In mineral miccolite, it occurs
with arsenic and in nickel glance with arsenic and sulfur.
Native nickel is very rare in nature and is always alloyed with iron.
For example, iron meteorites contain 6% to 20% nickel. It forms in
serpentinized ultramafic rocks from low-temperature hydrothermal
activity.
Native nickel was discovered in the year 1967 in samples from Bogata
in New Caledonia.
Physical Properties of Nickel
| Phase |
Solid |
| Color |
Bluish white |
| Luster |
Metallic |
| Transparency |
Opaque |
| Density (near room temperature) |
8.908 g/cm3 |
| Liquid density at melting
pointLiquid density at melting point |
7.81 g/cm3 |
| Melting point |
1728 K (1455°C, 2651°F) |
| Boiling point |
3186 K (2913°C, 5275°F) |
| Heat of fusion |
17.48 kJ/mol |
| Heat of vaporization |
377.5 kJ/mol |
| Heat capacity |
(25°C) 26.07 J/(mol-K) |
| Cleavage |
None |
| Fracture |
Hackly |
| Streak |
Gray metallic |
| Hardness |
4 - 5 |
| Specific gravity |
7.8 - 8.2 (heavy even for
metallic) |
Associated Minerals of Nickel
- Olivine
- Pyroxenes
- Gold
- Platinum
- Some
sulfide ores
- Some
minerals that are found only in meteorites
Occurrences of Nickel
- New
Caledonia
- Arizona
and San Diego County California
Uses of Nickel
- Making
of austenitic stainless steel.
- As
superalloys.
- In
alloy steel, rechargeable batteries, catalysts, coinage, foundry
products, and plating.
- In
armour plates and burglar-proof vaults.
- Alloy
alnico is used in magnets.
- In
crucibles for chemical laboratories.
- Smart
wire, or shape memory alloys are used in robotics.
- Monel
metal, a copper-nickel alloy being highly resistant to corrosion is
used for ship propellers, kitchen supplies, and chemical industry
plumbing.
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