Nickel is a silvery lustrous metal with a little gold tint. It is a transition earth metal that is hard and ductile. Let us discuss some uses of nickel compounds in this article.
Nickel (Ni) belongs to the d-block of the periodic table and has the atomic number 28. Let us see application areas of Nickel.
- Nickel metal is mainly used in the making of coins.
- Ni is shaped like wires, gas turbines and rocket engines.
- Nickel is resistant to corrosion and can bear very high temperatures and that is why used in many alloys.
We will read about some major uses of nickel compounds like nickel oxide, nickel chloride, nickel sulphates and Raney nickel in this article.
Nickel oxide uses
Nickel oxide (NiO) is the principal oxide of nickel and is produced as an intermediate during the process of making nickel alloys. The major uses of NiO are mentioned below:
- NiO is a common compound used in the production of nickel steel alloys.
- In the ceramics industry, NiO is used to prepare ferrites, frits and porcelain glazes.
- NiO is used to manufacture batteries containing nickel like nickel-iron battery which is also called Eddison battery. Electrodes are also manufactured using nickel.
- Nickel oxide use as a catalyst is also increased nowadays.
Nickel chloride uses
Nickel chloride is an anhydrous salt of nickel that appears yellow. It also exists in its hydrated form. The anhydrous form of NiCl2 absorbs moisture from its surroundings. The uses of NiCl2 are as follows.
- Nickel chloride solution is used for electroplating nickel on other metals.
- NiCl2 can convert alkenes to alkanes in the presence of LiAlH4.
- NiCl2 is used to reduce many organic compounds like aldehydes, alkenes and aromatic compounds in the presence of zinc.
- The hydrated form of NiCl2 is used in the isomerization of enols.
Nickel powder uses
Nickel powder is the powdered form of nickel and can be used in place of nickel metal. The uses of nickel powder are mentioned below:
- Nickel powder is used to manufacture electrodes and nickel-based rechargeable batteries.
- Nickel powder is used for the electroplating of coins in coinage industries.
- Nickel powder plays a very important role in metallurgical processes.
- Nickel powder can give magnetic properties to some metals when fused with them.
Nickel cadmium battery uses
A nickel-cadmium battery is a rechargeable battery consisting of two electrodes of nickel oxide and cadmium metal. Some important uses of nickel-cadmium batteries are given below:
- Nickel-Cadmium batteries are the source of steady power discharge. That is why they are widely used in computers, drills, cameras, mikes and other domestic items that require battery sources.
Nickel wire uses
Nickel wires contain a very high percentage of pure nickel in them. The major industrial uses of nickel wire are mentioned below:
- Nickel wire is used in heating elements, lighting, machine fasteners and semiconductors and other electrical components in industries.
Nickel sulphate uses
Nickel Sulphate is a blue-coloured compound and is the main source of Ni2+ ions. Nickle sulphate is highly soluble and its uses are given below:
- NiSO4 is mainly used in the process of electroplating nickel.
- Nickel sulphate reacts with sodium carbonate to form nickel carbonate which is further used as a catalyst and pigment.
- A blue-coloured solid is obtained when ammonium sulphate reacts with a concentrated aqueous solution of nickel sulphate, which is analogous to Mohr’s salt also known as ammonium iron sulfate.
Ferro nickel uses
Ferro nickel is a compound composed of nickel and iron with more percentage of iron in it. The percentage of iron and nickel change according to the quality of the final product.
- Ferro nickel is processed to make stainless steel and many other ferrous alloys.
Raney nickel uses
Raney nickel is obtained from nickel-aluminium alloy and is sometimes called spongy nickel. Let us read some uses of Raney nickel:
- Raney nickel is used commercially in the hydrogenation process of benzene to cyclohexane which is further used in the synthesis of adipic acid. Adipic acid that formed is used in making polyamides.
- Raney nickel is also used in place of Platinum as platinum is expensive, even being much more reactive than Raney nickel.
- Raney nickel is used in the reduction of many organic compounds like alkenes, alkynes, carbonyl groups, cyclic groups and nitrites.
Conclusion:
This article concludes that Nickel is an essential element in our environment having several properties that makes it useful in many industries and laboratory works. Nickel is mainly used in coinage industries, electroplating, battery material, catalyst and metallurgy to manufacture alloys.
Read more about following:
Hi, I am Sahil Singh. I completed my graduation in Bachelor of Science. I always have keen interest in Physics & Chemistry. I worked on my own blog for 1 year in the technology and gaming niche. I try my best to provide valuable knowledge through my articles.
You can reach out to me on LinkedIn:
Hi Fellow Reader,
We're a small team at Techiescience, working hard among the big players. If you like what you see, please share our content on social media. Your support makes a big difference. Thank you!