Nickel
A white metal which, when pure, is both ductile and malleable. Its color is intermediate between that of silver and tin, and is not altered by the air. It is nearly as hard as iron. Its specific gravity is 8.27, and when forged 8.66. The species of nickel ores are its alloy with arsenic and a little sulphur and its oxide; the first is the most abundant, and the one from which nickel is usually extracted. It is known to mineralogists by the German name of kupfernickel, or false copper, from its color and appearance. Nickel only occurs in the native state in meteoric stones.
Nickel fuses at 2800 deg. F. Its ores are found in the United States and in Germany, Sweden, and Hungary. The effect of the magnet upon pure nickel is very little inferior to that which it exerts on iron, but this entirely ceases when the metal is heated to 350 deg. F.
The chief use of nickel has been in the composition of various alloys, especially German-silver, all of which are duly noticed in their respective order. It is, however, being gradually introduced as an alloy with steel for ship's armor, etc. See GERMAN-SILVER.