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Old St. Nick

 Nickel originated from the German word, “kupfernickel,” which means Old. St Nick’s copper. Its symbol is Ni andatomic number is 28. Its state of matter is solid. low levels of the earth is where nickel can be found in the environment. Nickel has many uses and characteristics. It was only discovered because of confusion between the element copper.  Nickel has a wide variety of characteristics starting from color and ending with its durability. The color of nickel would be described as a metallic, lustrous metal. Looking at the metal, it shows a silvery-white pigment. It is a hard, malleable, and ductile metal. Nickel is a fair conductor of heat and electricity. It is a transition metal and remains the second most abundant element in metallic meteorites right behind iron. Nickel is a tough, strong metal which is why it is used in many alloys. This metal is abrasion-resistant and nonmagnetic. When exposed to oxygen, nickel develops a protective oxide An interesting fact about the element, Nickel, is that it is used in over 300,000 products. Due to the strength and durability of nickel, its uses deal with those characteristics. Mentioned earlier was the making of alloys. Nickel is used in the preparation of alloys with other metals which ultimately makes that metal stronger. Gas turbines and rocket engines are also made of nickel. The advantage is that nickel can resist corrosion at high temperatures which is useful in the making of those products. Nickel can also act a a catalyst for the hydrogenation of vegetable oils, but the nickel must be finely divided. Other uses of nickel include manufacturing batteries, coins, jewelry, stainless steel, and ceramics.  Nickel was discovered by mineralogist, Axel Fredrik Cronstedt in 1751 in Sweden. He wanted to extract copper from a mineral called niccolite. Both nickel and copper have a green tint to them but react differently to heat. After testing what he thought would be copper, he found something in the mineral that did not act like copper at all. Cronstedt proclaimed that he found a new element and named it nickel.  In conclusion, nickel hasplenty of characteristics and uses. Its discovery has helped the manufacturing business since it is used in a large quantity of products. It has great qualities that make nickel easy to work with. Nickel can be found anywhere from NASA’s rocket engines to inside chocolate chip cookies. Old St. Nick is even in some of the presents that Old St. Nick gives on Christmas.

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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 130%;">Chainapong, Kanate. N.d. Photograph. 123RFWeb. 23 Sep 2013. <http://www.123rf.com/photo_15605473_cartoon-santa-claus-hand-writing.html>.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 130%;">Nickel. N.d. Photograph. GalleriesWeb. 23 Sep 2013. <http://www.galleries.com/Nickel>.