Nickel

By John Emsley2014-05-08T00:00:00

Source: © Shutterstock

John Emsley investigates the element of batteries, blades and baked beans

Most of this planet’s nickel is inaccessible, locked away in its molten iron core, which is calculated to contain 10% nickel. The nickel that we mine came from outer space, arriving as giant iron/nickel meteorites.

From its initial extraction from meteorites to Ludwig Mond's improved extraction method, found while investigating leaky pipes, nickel has always been in demand.

Now John Emsley investigates the element of batteries, blades and baked beans and discusses its remarkable alloys.

Thanks for using Education in Chemistry. You can view one Education in Chemistry article per month as a visitor.

A photograph of a teacher standing in a white lab coat, speaking with a class of children in a laboratory, is superimposed on a colourful background. Text reads "Teach Chemistry means support for classroom and staff room".

Register for Teach Chemistry for free, unlimited access

Registration is open to all teachers and technicians at secondary schools, colleges and teacher training institutions in the UK and Ireland.

Get all this, plus much more:

unlimited access to resources, core practical videos and Education in Chemistry articles
teacher well-being toolkit, personal development resources and online assessments
applications for funding to support your lessons

Set up your Teach Chemistry account

Already a Teach Chemistry member? Sign in now.

Not eligible for Teach Chemistry? Sign up for a personal account instead, or you can also access all our resources with Royal Society of Chemistry membership.