Nickel

nickel

pentlandite

pyrrhotite

nepouite

Images

Formula: Ni
Native element, transition metal, nickel group
Specific gravity: 8.90
Hardness: 4½
Streak: Greyish white
Colour: White, bright silver
Common impurities: Fe,Co
Melting point: 1455^oC
Boiling point: 2990^oC
Environments

Hydrothermal environments

Nickel occurs occasionally in the native state but is mainly found as compounds. Its chief ores are pentlandite, pyrrhotite, népouite-willemseite, millerite and nickeline.
Abundance is 84 parts per million by mass, 30 parts per million by moles in the Earth's crust, and 80 parts per million by mass, 2 parts per million by moles in the Solar System. Nickel is 100 times more concentrated in the Earth's core than in the Earth’s crust; it is believed to be the second most abundant element in the core, after iron, which is far more abundant.
In chemical combinations the oxidation number may be -1, 0, 4 or 2 (ChC).

In the native state nickel occurs in serpentinised ultramafic rocks as a result of low-temperature hydrothermal activity, associated with heazlewoodite, pyrite, pyrrhotite, pentlandite, godlevskite, orcelite, millerite, nickel, copper, chalcopyrite, chalcocite and galena (HOM).

Localities

At the type locality, Bogota, Canala Commune, Northern Province, New Caledonia, France, native occurs as euhedral grains and intergrown cubic crystals, up to 0.1 mm, within heazlewoodite in a low temperature hydrothermal environment in serpentinised ultramafic rocks. Associated minerals include pyrrhotite, pyrite, pentlandite, orcelite, millerite, heazlewoodite, godlevskite, galena, copper, chalcopyrite and chalcocite (Mindat)

Nickel-bearing minerals include:

Alloys - an alloy is a substance that combines more than one metal or mixes a metal with other non-metallic elements
Phosphides - the phosphide ion is P^3-
Arsenides - the arsenide anion is As^3-
Antimonides - the antimonide anion is Sb^3-
Sulphides - the sulphide anion is S^2-
Selenides - the selenide anion is Se^2-
Chlorides - the chloride anion is Cl^-
Oxides - the oxide anion is O^2-
Hydroxides - the hydroxide anion is (OH)^-
Carbonates - the carbonate anion is (CO₃)^2-
Sulphates - the sulphate anion is (SO₄)^2-
Selenites - the selenite anion is (SeO₃)^2-
Phosphates - the phosphate anion is (P⁵⁺O₄)^3-
Arsenates - the arsenate anion is (As⁵⁺O₄)^3-
Nesosilicates - insular (Si⁴⁺O₄)^4- groups
Phyllosilicates - (Si⁴⁺₂O₅)^2- groups

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