Nikiel

Nikiel is the Polish name for the chemical element nickel. It has the symbol Ni and atomic number 28. Nickel is a silvery-white, hard metal that resists corrosion and is ferromagnetic at room temperature. It has a density of about 8.90 g/cm3 and a melting point of 1,455 C; its boiling point is about 2,913 C.

Natural nickel occurs in ore deposits, typically combined with sulfur as sulfides or in lateritic soils. The most important ore minerals include pentlandite and laterites containing nickel-bearing minerals. Major producers include Indonesia, the Philippines, Russia, Canada, Australia, and New Caledonia.

Nickel is widely used to make stainless steel and other nickel alloys, provides corrosion resistance and high-temperature strength, and is used for plating and catalysts (including Raney nickel). It is also used in batteries and electronics.

In chemistry, nickel has several stable isotopes, with Ni-58, Ni-60, Ni-61, Ni-62 and Ni-64 occurring naturally. It is ferromagnetic at room temperature. It forms a number of compounds including nickel oxide, nickel sulfide, and nickel salts used in pigments and catalysts.

The name nickel derives from the German kupfernickel, meaning "devil's copper", a term miners used for ore that resembled copper but yielded no metal. The element was isolated by Axel Fredrik Cronstedt in 1751.

Nickel exposure can cause allergic reactions in some people and may be toxic in certain compounds; long-term environmental mining considerations include habitat disruption and metal release.