Nickel is a silver-white, shiny metal, belonging to the transition metal series. The name nickel can be traced back to Swedish mineralogist Axel Frederic von Cronstedt, who got it in 1751 by abbreviating the Swedish word "kopparnickel". Because of its copper-like appearance, nickel was originally meant to be arsenopyrite, a crude term used by miners at the time.

 

Nickel is malleable and weldable and has excellent corrosion resistance. In addition, nickel is a ferromagnetic metal and can be easily polished.

 

At normal temperatures, nickel is resistant to salt water, nonoxidizing acids, bases, and many organic compounds.