Nickel information, including Technical Data, Safety Data and its high purity properties, research, applications and other useful facts are discussed below. Scientific facts such as the atomic structure, ionization energy, abundance on Earth, conductivity and thermal properties are included.
Nickel belongs to the iron-cobalt group of metals. Nickel is available as metal and compounds with purities from 99% to 99.999% (ACS grade to ultra-high purity); metals in the form of foil, sputtering target, and rod, and compounds as submicron and nanopowder. It is extensively used for making stainless steel and other corrosion-resistant alloys. It is highly electronically conductive and has many applications as a result. It is the basis of the nickel hydride battery. Most recently, its conductive properties have made it an ideal component for ceramic anode formulations used in oxygen generation and solid oxide fuel cell applications. Catalytic nickel is used to hydrogenate vegetable oils. Nickel additions to glass and ceramic glazes impart a bright green. It is also used in pigments for this purpose. Nickel facts, including appearance, CAS #, and molecular formula and safety data, research and properties are
Oxides are available in forms including powders and dense pellets for such uses as optical coating and thin film applications. Oxides tend to be insoluble. Fluorides are another insoluble form for uses in which oxygen is undesirable such as metallurgy, chemical and physical vapor deposition and in some optical coatings. Nickel is available in soluble forms including chlorides, nitrates and acetates. These compounds are also manufactured as solutions at specified stoichiometries. Nickel is a Block D, Group 4, Period 4 element. The electronic configuration is [Ar]3d84s2. In its elemental form nickel's CAS number is 7440-02-0. The nickel atom has a radius of 149.pm and it's Van der Waals radius is 163.pm. All elemental metals, compounds and solutions may be synthesized in ultra high purity (e.g. 99.999%) for laboratory standards, advanced electronic, metallurgy and optical materials and other high technology advantages. Information is provided for stable (non-radioactive) isotopes. Organo-Metallic Nickel compounds are soluble in organic or non-aqueous solvents. See Analytical Services for information on available certified chemical and physical analysis techniques including MS-ICP, X-Ray Diffraction, PSD and Surface Area (BET) analysis. Nickel was first discovered by Alex Constedt in 1751.
Nickel Abundance. The following table shows the abundance of nickel and each of its naturally occurring isotopes on Earth along with the atomic mass for each isotope. |
Nickel 
Nickel
Nichel 
Níquel 
Niquel 
NickelIsotope |
Atomic Mass |
% Abundance on Earth |
Ni-58 |
57.935 |
68.08 |
Ni-60 |
59.931 |
26.22 |
Ni-61 |
60.931 |
1.14 |
Ni-62 |
61.928 |
3.63 |
Ni-64 |
63.978 |
0.93 |
Nickel Safety Data. The safety data for nickel metal, nanoparticles and its compounds can vary widely depending on the form. For potential hazard information, toxicity, and road, sea and air transportation limitations, such as DOT Hazard Class, DOT Number, EU Number, NFPA Health rating and RTECS Class, please see the specific material or compound referenced in the left margin.
Ionization Energy. The ionization energy for nickel (the least required energy to release a single electron from the atom in it's ground state in the gas phase) is stated in the following table: |
1st Ionization Energy |
737.13 kJ mol-1 |
2nd Ionization Energy |
1753.04 kJ mol-1 |
3rd Ionization Energy |
3395.34 kJ mol-1 |
Conductivity. As to nickel's electrical and thermal conductivity, the electrical conductivity measured in terms of electrical resistivity @ 20 ºC is 6.84 µOcm and its electronegativities (or its ability to draw electrons relative to other elements) is 1.91. The thermal conductivity of nickel is 90.7 W m-1 K-1.
Thermal Properties of Nickel. The melting point and boiling point for nickel are stated below. The following chart sets forth the heat of fusion, heat of vaporization and heat of atomization. |
Heat of Fusion |
17.6 kJ mol-1 |
Heat of Vaporization |
374.8 kJ mol-1 |
Heat of Atomization |
427.659 kJ mol-1 |
| Formula | Atomic Number | Molecular Weight | Electronegativity (Pauling) | Density | Melting Point | Boiling Point |
Vanderwaals radius |
Ionic radius | Energy of first ionization |
| Ni | 28 | 58.71 g.mol -1 | 1.8 | 8.9 g.cm-3 at 20 °C | 1453 °C | 2913 °C | 0.124 nm | 0.069 nm (+2) ; 0.06 nm (+3) | 735 kJ.mol-1 |
| PRODUCT CATALOG | U.S. Operations | Submicron & Nanopowder | Tolling | Ultra High Purity | Sputtering Target | Crystal Growth | Rod, Plate, Powder, etc. | Foil |
