Discovery Information
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Who: Axel Cronstedt |
When: 1751 |
Where: Sweden |
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Name Origin
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German: kupfernickel (false copper); nickel (satan). |
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Sources
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Chiefly found in limonite (Fe,Ni)O(OH), garnierite (Ni,Mg)3Si2O5(OH) and pentlandite [(Ni,Fe)9S8] ore.
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Uses
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Used mainly in metal alloys because of its resistance to corrosion. Also in nickel-cadmium batteries, as a catalyst, a green tint in glass, electroplating and for coins.
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Nickel consumption can be summarized as: nickel steels (60%), nickel-copper alloys and nickel silver (14%), malleable nickel, nickel clad and Inconel (9%), plating (6%), nickel cast irons (3%), heat and electric resistance
alloys (3%), nickel brasses and bronzes (2%), others (3%).
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Notes
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Nickel is magnetic (although the US 'nickel' coin is not as it is mostly copper).
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The largest producer of nickel is Russia which extracts 267,000 tonnes of nickel per year. Australia and Canada are the second
and third largest producers, making 207 and 189.3 thousand tonnes per year.
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Nickel use is ancient, and can be traced back as far as 3500 BC. |
Exposure to nickel metal and soluble compounds should not exceed 0.05 mg/cm3 in nickel equivalents per 40-hour work week. Nickel sulfide (NiS) fume and dust is believed to be carcinogenic, and various other nickel compounds may be as well.
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