Nickel
transition metalProperties
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Atomic Mass | 58.693 amu |
| Category | transition metal |
| Group | 10 |
| Period | 4 |
| Electron Configuration | 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d8 4s2 |
| Electronegativity | 1.91 (Pauling) |
| Oxidation States | 2, 3 |
| Melting Point | 1728 K (1454.8 °C) |
| Boiling Point | 3003 K (2729.8 °C) |
| Density | 8.908 g/cm³ |
| Discovered By | Axel Fredrik Cronstedt (1751) |
About Nickel
Nickel is the third ferromagnet (after iron and cobalt) and the metal that turns ordinary steel into 304 and 316 stainless. Adding 8-10% Ni stabilizes the austenitic FCC phase down to room temperature, which is why your laboratory benchtop, your fume hood, and most of your reaction vessels stay rust-free. The 3d⁸ configuration also makes Ni one of the workhorse catalysts of organic chemistry: Raney nickel (a porous Ni-Al alloy leached with NaOH) hydrogenates alkenes, alkynes, and nitriles at 1-3 atm of H₂; nickel tetracarbonyl Ni(CO)₄ is the basis of the Mond process for ultra-pure Ni; and Ni(0) and Ni(II) phosphine complexes drive the cross-couplings that have largely supplanted palladium for cheaper substrates. The newer story is batteries — the cathode in an NMC811 lithium-ion cell is 80% nickel, and EV demand has pushed laterite ore extraction in Indonesia and the Philippines hard. Cronstedt isolated the metal in 1751 from kupfernickel (NiAs), the 'devil's copper' that German miners cursed because it yielded no Cu.
Fun Fact
The US five-cent 'nickel' coin actually contains more copper than nickel — it is 75% copper and only 25% nickel, but it got its name in 1866 when it replaced earlier silver coins with a cheaper nickel-copper alloy.
Common Uses
- Austenitic 18/8 and 18/10 stainless steels (304, 316)
- Cathode material in NMC and NCA lithium-ion batteries
- Raney nickel for catalytic hydrogenation in organic synthesis
- Ni-Cr resistance wire (Nichrome) for heating elements
- Electroless and electrolytic plating on connectors and hardware