Nickel
A tough, corrosion-resistant metal used in coins and alloys.
Inside the Nickel atom
Switch between Bohr and Quantum Cloud modes to compare a simple teaching model with a more realistic probability-based view, and follow the guided tour to explore the Nickel atom step by step.
Electron configuration
[Ar] 3d8 4s2
A neutral Nickel atom has 28 electrons (equal to its proton count). Choosing a different isotope above changes only the neutron count.
Shell distribution
Electrons fill inner shells before outer ones; the outermost (valence) shell drives the element's chemistry.
Physical & atomic properties
- State (room temp)
- Solid
- Melting point
- 1728 K (1455 °C)
- Boiling point
- 3186 K (2913 °C)
- Density
- 8.912 g/cm³
- Electronegativity
- 1.91 Pauling
- Atomic radius
- 135 pm
- 1st ionization energy
- 737 kJ/mol
- Category
- Transition metals
Discovery & naming
- Discovered
- 1751
- Discovered by
- Axel Fredrik Cronstedt
- Origin of name
- German 'kupfernickel', devil's copper.
Notable uses
Stainless steel, coins, and rechargeable batteries.
Where Nickel comes from
Supernovae
Supernovae eject enormous quantities of radioactive nickel-56, whose decay lights the fading explosion.
Simplified origin map — many elements form through more than one astrophysical pathway.
Summary
- Atomic number
- 28
- Atomic mass
- 58.693
- Category
- Transition metals
- Group · Period
- 10 · 4
- Block
- d-block
- Shells
- 2 · 8 · 16 · 2