Nickel
Atomic Number: 28
Symbol: Ni
Atomic Weight: 58.6934
Discovery: Axel Cronstedt 1751 (Sweden)
Electron Configuration: [Ar] 4s2 3d8
Word Origin: German Nickel: Satan or Old Nick, also, from kupfernickel: Old Nick's copper or Devil's copper
Isotopes: There are 14 known isotopes of nickel, 5 stable and 9 unstable. Natural nickel is a mixture of the 5 stable isotopes.
Properties: The melting point of nickel is 1453°C, boiling point is 2732°C, specific gravity is 8.902 (25°C), with a valence of 0, 1, 2, or 3. Nickel is a silvery white metal that takes a high polish. Nickel is hard, ductile, malleable, and somewhat ferromagnetic. It is a fair conductor of heat and electricity. Nickel is a member of the iron-cobalt group of metals (transition elements). Exposure to nickel metal and soluble compounds should not exceed 1 mg/M3 (8 hour time weighted average for a 40 hour week). Some nickel compounds (nickel carbonyl, nickel sulfide) are considered to be highly toxic or carcinogenic.
Uses: Nickel is used primarily for the alloys it forms. It is used for making stainless steel and many other corrosion resistant alloys. Copper-nickel alloy tubing is used in desalination plants. Nickel is used in coinage and for armor plating. When added to glass, nickel gives a green color. Nickel plating is applied to other metals to provide a protective coating. Finely divided nickel is used as a catalyst for hydrogenating vegetable oils. Nickel is also used in ceramics, magnets, and batteries.
Sources: Nickel is present in most meteorites. Its presence is often used to distinguish meteorites from other minerals. Iron meteorites (siderites) may contain iron alloyed with 5-20% nickel. Nickel is commercially obtained from pentlandite and pyrrhotite. Deposits of nickel ore are located in Ontario, Australian, Cuba, and Indonesia.
Element Classification: Transition Metal
Density (g/cc): 8.902
Melting Point (K): 1726
Boiling Point (K): 3005
Appearance: Hard, malleable, silvery-white metal
Atomic Radius (pm): 124
Atomic Volume (cc/mol): 6.6
Covalent Radius (pm): 115
Ionic Radius: 69 (+2e)
Specific Heat (@20°C J/g mol): 0.443
Fusion Heat (kJ/mol): 17.61
Evaporation Heat (kJ/mol): 378.6
Debye Temperature (K): 375.00
Pauling Negativity Number: 1.91
First Ionizing Energy (kJ/mol): 736.2
Oxidation States: 3, 2, 0
Lattice Structure: Face-Centered Cubic
Lattice Constant (Å): 3.520
References: Los Alamos National Laboratory (2001), Crescent Chemical Company (2001), Lange's Handbook of Chemistry (1952), CRC Handbook of Chemistry & Physics (18th Ed.)
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