Nickel

nickel

pentlandite

pyrrhotite

nepouite

Images

Formula: Ni
Native element, transition metal, iron 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
awaruite
majakite
orcelite
taenite

Phosphides - the phosphide ion is P^3-
allabogdanite
barringerite
halamishite
nazarovite
negevite
orishchinite
polekhovskyite
schreibersite
transjordanite

Arsenides - the arsenide anion is As^3-
krutovite
maucherite
nickeline
nickelskutterudite
rammelsbergite
safflorite

Antimonides - the antimonide anion is Sb^3-
breithauptite

Sulphides - the sulphide anion is S^2-
argentopentlandite
gersdorffite
godlevskite
heazlewoodite
hrabákite
mackinawite
millerite
pentlandite
tučekite
ullmannite
vaesite
violarite
vozhminite

Selenides - the selenide anion is Se^2-
kitkaite
kullerudite
mäkinenite
sederholmite
trüstedtite
tyrrellite

Oxides - the oxide anion is O^2-
bunsenite
tredouxite

Hydroxides - the hydroxide anion is (OH)^-
asbolane
jamborite
theophrastite

Chlorides - the chloride anion is Cl^-
gillardite
muonionalustaite

Carbonates - the carbonate anion is (CO₃)^2-
glaukosphaerite
kaznakhtite
otwayite
szymańskiite
zaratite

Sulphates - the sulphate anion is (SO₄)^2-
dwornikite
honessite
nickelalumite
nickelhexahydrite
nickelzippeite
retgersite

Selenites - the selenite anion is (SeO₃)^2-
ahlfeldite

Phosphates
yakubovichite

Arsenates - the arsenate anion is (As⁵⁺O₄)^3-
aerugite
annabergite
hloušekite
honzaite
paganoite

Nesosilicates - insular (Si⁴⁺O₄)^4- groups
liebenbergite

Phyllosilicates - (Si⁴⁺₂O₅)^2- groups
népouite
nimite
willemseite

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