Introduction
Group: 10 or VIII B
Atomic Weight: 58.6934
Period: 4
CAS Number: 7440-02-0
Classification
No Stable Isotopes
Solid
Liquid
Gas
Solid (Predicted)
Description • Uses/Function
Discovered by Cronstedt in 1751 in kupfernickel (niccolite). Nickel is found as a constituent in most meteoritesand often serves as one of the criteria for distinguishing a meteorite from other minerals. Iron meteorites, or siderites, may contain iron alloyed withfrom 5 to nearly 20% nickel. Nickel is obtained commercially from pentlandite and pyrrhotite of the Sudbury region of Ontario, a district that producesmuch of the world’s nickel. It is now thought that the Sudbury deposit is the result of an ancient meteorite impact. Other deposits of nickel are foundin Russia, New Caledonia, Australia, Cuba, Indonesia, and elsewhere. Nickel is silvery white and takes on a high polish. It is hard, malleable, ductile,somewhat ferromagnetic, and a fair conductor of heat and electricity. It belongs to the iron-cobalt group of metals and is chiefly valuable for the alloysit forms. It is extensively used for making stainless steel and other corrosion-resistant alloys such as Invar(R), Monel(R), Inconel(R), and the Hastelloys(R).Tubing made of a copper-nickel alloy is extensively used in making desalination plants for converting sea water into fresh water. Nickel is also nowused extensively in coinage and in making nickel steel for armor plate and burglar-proof vaults, and is a component in Nichrome®, Permalloy®, andconstantan. Nickel added to glass gives a green color. Nickel plating is often used to provide a protective coating for other metals, and finely dividednickel is a catalyst for hydrogenating vegetable oils. It is also used in ceramics, in the manufacture of Alnico magnets, and in the Edison® storagebattery. The sulfate and the oxides are important compounds. Natural nickel is a mixture of five stable isotopes; nineteen other unstable isotopes areknown. Nickel sulfide fume and dust is recognized as having carcinogenic potential. Nickel metal (99.9%) is priced at about $100/kg or less in largerquantities. 1
• "Stainless steels show high tensile strength and excellent resistance to corrosion. The most common kind contains 14-18% chromium and 7-9% nickel." 2
• "Miners of nickel ore have a high rate of nasal cancer." 3
Physical Properties
Melting Point:4* 1455 °C = 1728.15 K = 2651 °F
Electron Configuration: [Ar] 4s2 3d8
n = 3
Electronegativity (Pauling scale):6 1.91
Specific Heat: 0.444 J/g°C 10 = 26.060 J/mol°C = 0.106 cal/g°C = 6.228 cal/mol°C
Earth - Source Compounds: sulfides 16
External Links:
Journals:
(1) - Lide, David R. CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 83rd ed.; CRC Press: Boca Raton, FL, 2002; p 4:20.
Boiling Point:4* 2913 °C = 3186.15 K = 5275.4 °F
Sublimation Point:4
Triple Point:4
Critical Point:4
Density:5 8.90 g/cm3
* - at 1 atm
Electron Configuration
Block: d
Highest Occupied Energy Level: 4
Valence Electrons:
Quantum Numbers:
ℓ = 2
mℓ = 0
ms = -½
Bonding
Electropositivity (Pauling scale): 2.09
Electron Affinity:7 1.156 eV
Oxidation States: +2,3
Work Function:8 5.15 eV = 8.2503E-19 J
Ionization Potential
eV 9
kJ/mol
1
7.6398
737.1
2
18.16884
1753.0
3
35.19
3395.3
4
54.9
5297.0
5
76.06
7338.7
6
108
10420.4
7
133
12832.5
8
162
15630.6
9
193
18621.7
Ionization Potential
eV 9
kJ/mol
10
224.6
21670.6
11
321
30971.8
12
352
33962.8
13
384
37050.4
14
430
41488.7
15
464
44769.2
16
499
48146.2
17
571.08
55100.8
18
607.06
58572.4
Ionization Potential
eV 9
kJ/mol
19
1541
148683.9
20
1648
159007.8
21
1756
169428.2
22
1894
182743.2
23
2011
194032.0
24
2131
205610.2
25
2295
221433.8
26
2399.2
231487.6
27
10288.8
992718.0
28
10775.4
1039667.8
Thermochemistry
Thermal Conductivity: 90.7 (W/m)/K, 27°C 11
Heat of Fusion: 17.47 kJ/mol 12 = 297.6 J/g
Heat of Vaporization: 370.4 kJ/mol 13 = 6310.8 J/g
State of Matter
Enthalpy of Formation (ΔHf°)14
Entropy (S°)14
Gibbs Free Energy (ΔGf°)14
(kcal/mol)
(kJ/mol)
(cal/K)
(J/K)
(kcal/mol)
(kJ/mol)
(s)
0
0
7.14
29.87376
0
0
(g)
102.7
429.6968
43.519
182.083496
91.9
384.5096
Isotopes
Nuclide
Mass 15
Half-Life 15
Nuclear Spin 15
Binding Energy
48Ni
48.01975(54)#
10# ms [>500 ns]
0+
347.82 MeV
49Ni
49.00966(43)#
13(4) ms [12(+5-3) ms]
7/2-#
365.20 MeV
50Ni
49.99593(28)#
9.1(18) ms
0+
386.32 MeV
51Ni
50.98772(28)#
30# ms [>200 ns]
7/2-#
401.84 MeV
52Ni
51.97568(9)#
38(5) ms
0+
421.09 MeV
53Ni
52.96847(17)#
45(15) ms
(7/2-)#
435.68 MeV
54Ni
53.95791(5)
104(7) ms
0+
454.00 MeV
55Ni
54.951330(12)
204.7(17) ms
7/2-
467.66 MeV
56Ni
55.942132(12)
6.075(10) d
0+
484.11 MeV
57Ni
56.9397935(19)
35.60(6) h
3/2-
494.98 MeV
58Ni
57.9353429(7)
STABLE
0+
506.78 MeV
59Ni
58.9343467(7)
7.6(5)E+4 a
3/2-
515.78 MeV
60Ni
59.9307864(7)
STABLE
0+
527.58 MeV
61Ni
60.9310560(7)
STABLE
3/2-
534.72 MeV
62Ni
61.9283451(6)
STABLE
0+
545.58 MeV
63Ni
62.9296694(6)
100.1(20) a
1/2-
552.72 MeV
64Ni
63.9279660(7)
STABLE
0+
562.66 MeV
65Ni
64.9300843(7)
2.5172(3) h
5/2-
567.93 MeV
66Ni
65.9291393(15)
54.6(3) h
0+
576.94 MeV
67Ni
66.931569(3)
21(1) s
1/2-
583.14 MeV
68Ni
67.931869(3)
29(2) s
0+
591.22 MeV
69Ni
68.935610(4)
11.5(3) s
9/2+
595.56 MeV
70Ni
69.93650(37)
6.0(3) s
0+
602.70 MeV
71Ni
70.94074(40)
2.56(3) s
1/2-#
607.05 MeV
72Ni
71.94209(47)
1.57(5) s
0+
613.25 MeV
73Ni
72.94647(32)#
0.84(3) s
(9/2+)
617.60 MeV
74Ni
73.94807(43)#
0.68(18) s
0+
623.81 MeV
75Ni
74.95287(43)#
0.6(2) s
(7/2+)#
628.15 MeV
76Ni
75.95533(97)#
470(390) ms [0.24(+55-24) s]
0+
633.43 MeV
77Ni
76.96055(54)#
300# ms [>300 ns]
9/2+#
636.84 MeV
78Ni
77.96318(118)#
120# ms [>300 ns]
0+
642.12 MeV
Values marked # are not purely derived from experimental data, but at least partly from systematic trends. Spins with weak assignment arguments are enclosed in parentheses. 15
Abundance
Earth - Seawater: 0.00056 mg/L 17
Earth -
Crust:
84 mg/kg = 0.0084% 17
Earth -
Mantle:
0.3% 18
Earth -
Core:
8.5% 18
Earth -
Lithosphere:
0.01% 19
Earth -
Total:
1.82% 20
Mercury -
Total:
3.66% 20
Venus -
Total:
1.77 % 20
Universe -
Total:
0.006% 18
Chondrites - Total: 4×104 (relative to 106 atoms of Si) 21
Human Body - Total: 0.00001% 22
Compounds
nickel orthophosphate; nickel(II) phosphate
nickel phosphide
nickel subsulfide
nickel(II) acetate
nickel(II) antimonide
nickel(II) arsenide
nickel(II) boride
nickel(II) bromide
nickel(II) carbonate
nickel(II) carbonyl; tetracarbonylnickel
nickel(II) chloride hexahydrate
nickel(II) chromate
nickel(II) cyanide
nickel(II) fluoborate
nickel(II) fluoride
nickel(II) hydroxide
nickel(II) iodide
nickel(II) nitrate hexahydrate; nickelous nitrate hexahydrate
nickel(II) nitrate; nickelous nitrate
nickel(II) oxide; nickel monoxide
Prices
Safety Information
Material Safety Data Sheet - ACI Alloys, Inc.
For More Information
American Elements
Chemical & Engineering News
Chemical Elements
ChemGlobe
Chemicool
Environmental Chemistry
(1) John Trowbridge and Samuel Sheldon, Proc. Am. Acad. Arts Sci. 24, 181-184 (1889)
Sources
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(4) - Lide, David R. CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 83rd ed.; CRC Press: Boca Raton, FL, 2002; p 4:132.
(5) - Lide, David R. CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 84th ed.; CRC Press: Boca Raton, FL, 2002; p 4:39-4:96.
(6) - Dean, John A. Lange's Handbook of Chemistry, 11th ed.; McGraw-Hill Book Company: New York, NY, 1973; p 4:8-4:149.
(7) - Lide, David R. CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 84th ed.; CRC Press: Boca Raton, FL, 2002; p 10:147-10:148.
(8) - Speight, James. Lange's Handbook of Chemistry, 16th ed.; McGraw-Hill Professional: Boston, MA, 2004; p 1:132.
(9) - Lide, David R. CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 83rd ed.; CRC Press: Boca Raton, FL, 2002; p 10:178 - 10:180.
(10) - Lide, David R. CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 83rd ed.; CRC Press: Boca Raton, FL, 2002; p 4:133.
(11) - Lide, David R. CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 83rd ed.; CRC Press: Boca Raton, FL, 2002; pp 6:193, 12:219-220.
(12) - Lide, David R. CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 83rd ed.; CRC Press: Boca Raton, FL, 2002; pp 6:123-6:137.
(13) - Lide, David R. CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 83rd ed.; CRC Press: Boca Raton, FL, 2002; pp 6:107-6:122.
(14) - Dean, John A. Lange's Handbook of Chemistry, 12th ed.; McGraw-Hill Book Company: New York, NY, 1979; p 9:4-9:94.
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