Who Discovered Nickel

Nickel

Nickel is a silvery-white metal with atomic number 28 and atomic symbol Ni. Nickel is a very reactive element but it is generally slow to react at normal temperatures and pressures. This article will tell you who discovered nickel, list some of the uses of nickel and tell you a few facts about nickel.

Who discovered nickel?

Nickel has a fairly long history and has been used by many ancient cultures. In what is now Syria, nickel was a component of many bronze structures. These are believed to have been made in about 20BC. Some manuscripts from Ancient China suggest that ‘white copper’ (also called cupronickel or coppernickel) was used between 1700BC and 1300BC. However, silver ores are easily mistaken for nickel ores so some historians have suggested that the ancient Chinese probably used silver ores. So nickel has long been known to many civilizations, even if they didn’t know exactly what nickel was.

Who discovered nickel was a metal?

Back in 1751, Axel Fredrik Cronstedt (a Swedish chemist) tried to extract copper from kupfernickel (now called niccolite). Instead of getting copper, has obtained a white metal he called nickel. This was the first time nickel was separated as identified as a distinct metal.

Uses of nickel

• A component of stainless steel
• Often used in coins. The American ‘nickel’ is actually 75% copper and 25% nickel
• Nickel(III) oxide is used in many rechargeable batteries
• Used for a green tint in glass
• Alloys of nickel are used to make lots of silverware
• Making heat and energy resistant alloys

Fast Facts about nickel

• Coins made of pure nickel were first used in Switzerland back in 1881.
• Nickel allergies may affect people who wear jewellery. Much jewellery contains some nickel and this causes the skin of the sufferer to become red and itchy.
• It costs the United States Mint about 9-10c to make a nickel (which is worth 5c). Some people had the bright idea of melting the metals and selling them at a profit. The Mint, however, implemented new rules making it a criminal offence to melt and export cents and nickels.
• Nickel has five stable isotopes. Nickle-58 is the most abundant.
• Nickel-48 is the most proton rich element known (with 28 protons and 20 neutrons). It is a fairly stable isotope.

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