Nickel
🪙 In Your World
You've probably handled nickel today without realizing it. It's a key component of many coins, including the U.S. five-cent piece, which is famously called a "nickel." Its excellent corrosion resistance makes it a vital ingredient in stainless steel and other alloys. Nickel is also a primary component in rechargeable batteries (Ni-Cd and Ni-MH) used in many electronics.
📖 The Discovery Story
In 1751, Swedish mineralogist Baron Axel Fredrik Cronstedt was trying to extract copper from an ore that looked like copper ore. Instead, he produced a hard, silvery-white metal. He named it "nickel" after the German term Kupfernickel (meaning "devil's copper" or "goblin's copper"), which miners used for the ore because it looked like copper but yielded none.
📊 Properties at a Glance
| Phase at STP | Solid |
| Melting Point | 1455 °C / 2651 °F |
| Boiling Point | 2732 °C / 4950 °F |
| Electron Configuration | [Ar] 3d⁸4s² |
| Abundance in Earth's Crust | 0.0084% |
⚠️ Safety & Handling
In its metallic form, nickel is not particularly toxic. However, a significant portion of the population has a nickel allergy, which can cause a skin rash (contact dermatitis) from handling coins or wearing jewelry containing nickel. Inhaling nickel dust or fumes is a more serious occupational hazard and can be carcinogenic.