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Nickel - Ni General Information Discovery Nickel was discovered by A.F. Cronstedt in 1751 in Stockholm, Sweden. Appearance Nickel is a silvery-white metal which is lustrous, malleable and ductile. It is capable of taking on a high polish. Source The minerals which contain the most nickel are garnierite and pentlandite. About 30% of these minerals are found in Ontario in North America. Uses Nickel is chiefly used in the making of alloys such as stainless steel. A copper-nickel alloy is extensively used in making desalination plants for converting sea water into fresh water. Nickel steel is used for armour plate. Nickel has long been used in coins - the US five-cent piece (known as a 'nickel') is 25% nickel and 75% copper. Nickel plate protects softer metals. Finely-divided nickel is used as a catalyst for hydrogenating vegetable oils, and nickel imparts a green colour to glass. Biological Role The biological role of nickel is uncertain, but both the metal and nickel sulfide are considered to be carcinogenic. Nickel carbonyl is very toxic. General Information Nickel is very resistant to corrosion. It reacts with all acids except concentrated nitric acid, and is not affected by alkalis. It is a fair conductor of heat and electricity. |
| Physical Information | |||
| Atomic Number | 28 | ||
| Relative Atomic Mass (12C=12.000) | 58.69 | ||
| Melting Point/K | 1726 | ||
| Boiling Point/K | 3005 | ||
| Density/kg m-3 | 8902 (298K) | ||
| Ground State Electron Configuration | [Ar]3d84s2 | ||
| Electron Affinity(M-M-)/kJ mol-1 | -156 |
| Key Isotopes | ||||||
| nuclide | 58Ni | 59Ni | 60Ni | 61Ni | 62Ni | |
| atomic mass | 57.935 | 58.934 | 59.933 | 60.931 | 61.928 | |
| natural abundance | 68.27% | 0% | 26.10% | 1.13% | 3.59% | |
| half-life | stable | 8x104 yrs | stable | stable | stable | |
| nuclide | 63Ni | 64Ni | ||||
| atomic mass | 62.930 | 63.928 | ||||
| natural abundance | 0% | 0.91% | ||||
| half-life | 92 yrs | stable | ||||
| Other Information | ||
| Enthalpy of Fusion/kJ mol-1 | 17.6 | |
| Enthalpy of Vaporisation/kJ mol-1 | 374.8 | |
| Oxidation States | ||
| main | Ni+2 | |
| others | Ni-1, Ni0, Ni+1, Ni+3, | |
| Ni+4, Ni+6 | ||
| Ionisation Energies/kJ mol-1 | ||
| M - M+ | 736.7 | |
| M+ - M2+ | 1753.0 | |
| M2+ - M3+ | 3393 | |
| M3+ - M4+ | 5300 | |
| M4+ - M5+ | 7280 | |
| M5+ - M6+ | 10400 | |
| M6+ - M7+ | 12800 | |
| M7+ - M8+ | 15600 | |
| M8+ - M9+ | 18600 | |
| M9+ - M10+ | 21660 | |
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