In the 1700s, Saxon miners cursed a copper-colored ore that refused to yield any copper. They called it Kupfernickel — "devil's copper." Then in 1751, Swedish chemist Axel Cronstedt extracted a brand-new metal from it. The "devil" turned out to be one of the most useful elements on Earth.
Nickel is the unsung hero of modern industry. It makes steel stainless. It powers electric car batteries. It protects jet turbines from melting. And deep inside our planet, an iron-nickel alloy forms Earth's core and generates the magnetic field that shields us from cosmic radiation.
Today nickel is experiencing a massive surge in demand. The main driver is electric vehicles. Their lithium-ion batteries need nickel to boost energy density. Tesla, BMW, and other automakers are shifting to nickel-rich cathodes. By 2030, global nickel demand could double.
Beyond batteries, nickel is essential for the hydrogen economy. It catalyzes water electrolysis. And nickel superalloys enable more efficient gas turbines for cleaner power generation.
Skin contact with nickel can cause allergic dermatitis in 10-20% of people. Nickel dust and fumes are classified by IARC as Group 1 carcinogens — prolonged inhalation raises the risk of lung and nasal cancer. Nickel carbonyl Ni(CO)₄ is an extremely toxic gas with a lethal concentration of 30 ppm over 30 minutes. The occupational exposure limit for nickel in air is 0.05 mg/m³.
Earth's core contains about 6% nickel — roughly 100 quintillion tons. This iron-nickel alloy generates the magnetic field that protects our planet from solar wind.
Most nickel on Earth arrived from space. Iron meteorites contain 5-20% nickel. Scientists actually use nickel content to tell real meteorites from ordinary rocks.
The name "nickel" comes from German Kupfernickel — "devil's copper." Saxon miners thought the ore was bewitched: it looked like copper ore but no copper could be smelted from it.
Nickel is one of only four elements that are ferromagnetic at room temperature. The other three are iron, cobalt, and gadolinium.
A Tesla Model S battery contains about 50 kg of nickel. The more nickel in the cathode, the greater the battery capacity and the farther the car can drive.
The American "nickel" coin (5 cents) is actually 75% copper and only 25% nickel. This composition hasn't changed since 1866.
| Isotope | Mass (u) | Abundance | Half-life | Decay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
58Ni | 57.935343 | 68.08% | stable | — |
60Ni | 59.930786 | 26.22% | stable | — |
61Ni | 60.931056 | 1.14% | stable | — |
62Ni | 61.928345 | 3.63% | stable | — |
64Ni | 63.927966 | 0.93% | stable | — |
Analysis of niccolite