metals

Nickel

The all-rounder among metals

Nickel is a chemical element with the element symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is one of the transition metals, in the periodic table it is in the 8th subgroup or iron-platinum group according to the older counting method, and in group 10 or the nickel group according to the newer one.

Nickel was first presented in its pure form by Axel Frederic Cronstedt in 1751 and named after the mineral cupronickel in which he found the hitherto unknown metal.

The medieval miners called the ore copper-nickel, which looked like copper ore but from which no copper could be extracted, as if it had been bewitched by mountain spirits (“nickels”). A similar goblin-like etymology is found in cobalt.

The first pure nickel coin was minted in 1881.

Nickel occurs in the earth's crust with a content of about 0.008%. Based on geophysical and geochemical evidence, most of the nickel on Earth and other terrestrial planets is believed to reside in the core, where it forms an alloy with iron and some light elements. According to the latest models, its mass fraction in the Earth's core is around 5.2%.

Nickel is required as a metal in small quantities, the largest part of the production goes into the production of stainless steels and nickel alloys. Nickel is used in many specific and recognizable industrial and consumer goods, including stainless steel, Alnico magnets, coins, rechargeable batteries, electric guitar strings, microphone capsules, plating on plumbing fixtures, and specialty alloys such as Permalloy, Elinvar, and Invar.