Nickel Properties Uses and other Details
What is Nickel
Nickel is a metal and chemically it is an element. Nickel is a
silver-white lustrous metal. Nickel has an atomic mass of
58.6934 AMU, atomic number 28, and symbol Ni. Its
atom has 28 electrons, 28 protons, 31 neutrons and 4 energy levels. The
density of nickel is 8.9 grams per cubic centimeter. Nickel is
found in the solid state at room temperature. The melting point of nickel
is 1455 °C (2651 °F) and its boiling point is
2913 °C (5275 °F). Nickel is located in Group 10, Period 4 and
Block D in the Periodic Table.
Nickel was discovered in 1751 by the Swedish chemist Axel Fredrik
Cronstedt.
Properties of Nickel Metal
- Nickel is a silver-white lustrous metal.
- Nickel is a ductile metal, so it can be drawn into very thin wire. About 300 km long wire can be made from one kilogram of nickel.
- Nickel is a very hard metal.
- Nickel is a corrosion resistant metal, nickel maintains its corrosion resistance at very high temperatures. Hence nickel is used to form a protective layer on other metals by electroplating.
- Nickel slowly dissolves in dilute acids.
- Most of the compounds made of nickel are blue or green.
- When nickel is added to glass, the color of the glass turns green.
- Nickel alloys have properties such as strength, ductility and corrosion resistance at high temperatures.
- Nickel is a very good conductor of heat and electricity
- Nickel is one of the four ferromagnetic elements (iron, nickel, cobalt and gadolinium). Ferromagnetic elements are those elements which are attracted by magnets at room temperature.
- Nickel is not attracted to a magnet at temperatures above 355 °C (671 °F).
- Nickel atom has two electron configurations.
Uses of nickel metal
- In ancient times, nickel was used to make coins.
- Nickel is used to make alloys in many ways.
- Nickel is a corrosion resistant metal, so it is used to form a protective layer over other metals.
- Copper nickel alloy is used to make sea water purifiers.
- Nickel is used as a catalyst for the hydrogenation of vegetable oils.
- Nickel is used to make rechargeable nickel-cadmium batteries for hybrid vehicles.
- Nickel maintains corrosion resistance even at extremely high temperatures, so it is used to make gas turbines and rocket engines.
- Nickel is used to make powerful permanent magnets called Alnico magnets. Nickel, aluminium, iron and cobalt metals are alloyed together to make Alnico magnets.
Interesting facts about nickel metal
- 7.6 mg of nickel is found in 1 kg of dry tea leaves.
- About 46% of the world's nickel is found in Indonesia and Australia.
- 300 kilometer long wire can be made from one kilogram of nickel.
- An alloy named mu-metal is made by mixing 80% nickel, 20% iron and a small amount of molybdenum. A strange quality is found in this mu-metal, it blocks magnetic rays. Normally, when iron is brought near a magnet, the magnet attracts the iron. But when the mu-metal is placed between the iron and the magnet, the attraction of the magnet ceases.
- Nitinol, an alloy of nickel, has the ability to remember its previous shape (Shape Memory Properties), it was discovered in the 1960s.
Detailed Information on Some other Metals
- Gold Properties Uses and other Details
- Silver Properties Uses and Other Details
- Mercury Properties Uses and other Details
- Platinum Properties Uses and other details
- Titanium Properties Uses and other Details
- Aluminium Properties Uses and other Details
- Copper Properties Uses and Other Details
- Iron Metal Properties Uses and Other Details
- Plutonium | Properties | Uses | Other Details
- Uranium | Properties | Uses | Other Details
- Lithium | Properties | Uses | Other Details
- Thorium | Properties | Uses | Facts
- Sodium Metal | Properties | Uses | Facts
No comments:
Post a Comment