Nickel is a hard, silvery-white metal that is a staple of our daily lives and can be found in everything from the coins to batteries to stainless steel.

Nickel, much-loved today, was initially discovered with miners loathing it.

nickel metal

Nickel: the only metal named after the devil

Did you know that nickel takes its name from the German word "Kupfernickel"?

In the 1600s, a dark red ore, often with a green coating, was a source of irritation for copper miners in Saxony, Germany. They tried to Crusher from it but failed. Those who were tasked with processing the mysterious ore began to show signs of poisoning. Many began to experience intense stomach pains, which led to vomiting and diarrhea. Others got vertigo, resulting in accidents and falls. Some who worked the smelters even became delirious, went into shock or died.

The miners concluded the ore was not copper but something disguised as such. Convinced that the deposit was the mischievous work of the devil. They named it Kupfernickel, meaning ¡°Old Nicks copper.¡± Old Nick was the name of an evil sprite in Saxon mythology, and was also used as a colloquial name for the devil.

Between 1751 and 1754, the Swedish chemist Axel Cronstedt conducted a number of experiments to determine the true nature of kupfernickel. We now know that kupfernickel is nickel arsenide or niccolite. Crusher

After finding that its chemical reactions were not what he would have expected from a copper compound, he heated kupfernickel with charcoal to produce a hard, white metal, whose color alone suggested it could not be copper. Its properties, including its magnetism, led him to conclude that he had isolated a new metallic element.

Cronstedt named the new element nickel, after the kupfernickel from which he had isolated it.

Nickel properties

Nickel is one of the most versatile metals, from the utensils we use in our kitchens to the bridges that connect our cities and the batteries of electric vehicles that will help to enable a low-carbon future. The secret is its outstanding physical and chemical properties.

    • Source:Crusher

    The properties of nickel metal also answer frequently asked questions about it.

    Yes. But keep in mind that nickel-plated steel is corrosion-resistant, not corrosion-proof.

    Nickel is the most corrosion-resistant metal known. Pure Nickel can withstand high temperatures, a variety of chemicals, excessive humidity, and other extreme conditions.

    Being highly resistant to corrosion, Nickel is used in making an extensive number of alloys such as wrought nickel, nickel-iron, nickel-chromium, and nickel-copper alloys, etc.

    However, we must understand that Nickel is corrosion-resistant and not corrosion-proof. Therefore, when exposed to extreme conditions for a long duration, Nickel may also undergo corrosion forming a nickel oxide layer.

    Nickel is one of only four metals that are ferromagnetic at room temperature, meaning they are attracted to magnets and are magnetic themselves. The others are iron, cobalt and gadolinium. Nickel is less magnetic than iron or cobalt.

    Alnico magnets ¡ª a combination of aluminum (Al), nickel (Ni) and cobalt (Co) ¡ª are very strong permanent magnets that retain their magnetism even when heated until they glow red.

    Nickel plating is a technique of depositing a layer of nickel on another material. The purpose is to change the physical properties of an object, ie, its conductivity, hardness, adhesion, corrosion and erosion resistance, durability, performance and appearance.

    There are two types of nickel plating:

    Nickel electroplating: In this case, the nickel layer is deposited by an electrolytic process.

    Electroless nickel plating: In this case, an autocatalytic reaction is used to do the same thing.

    Like many other metals, nickel is fully recyclable. It can be recycled again and again without loss of quality.

    Nickel is one of the worlds most recycled materials. About 68% of nickel is reclaimed from consumer products that are recycled. Common recycled sources of nickel are primarily from stainless steel and old batteries.

    Nickel recycling not only promotes a circular economy but also alleviates nickel resource shortages caused by growing EV market.