Nickel and its compounds

Nickel is silvery white in colour, melting at 1453 0C. It is hard, malleable, ductile, has magnetic properties and is a fair conductor of heat and electricity. It forms a variety of inorganic and organic compounds. Many nickel salts are green in colour.Nickel is obtained commercially from pentlandite and pyrhotite of the Sudbury, Ontario, region of Canada, This region produces most of the nickel in the western world. Nickel is a constituent of most meteorites and has been used to distinguish meteorites from minerals of terrestrial origin. Iron meteorites (siderites) may contain iron alloyed with from 5 to 20 % nickel. Very small amounts of nickel have been shown to be essential for normal growth and reproduction in some species of animals; therefore, small amounts of nickel may also be essential for humans.