Published 10 January 2024
The Discovery and Development of Nickel
Nickel, as a metal, was utilized even before its discovery. The use of nickel-containing alloys can be traced back to around 300 BC. Ancient Egypt and ancient China both used meteoric iron with high nickel content for various tools. In China, the technology for smelting white copper (copper-nickel-zinc alloy, containing Cu 52% to 80%, Ni 5% to 35%, Zn 10% to 35%) had been mastered before 206 BC. Around 200 BC, in the ancient Southwest Asian country of Bactria, a widely used coin was made from a copper-nickel alloy (approximately 77% copper, 20% nickel, 1% cobalt, 1.5% iron). Germany in 1825, the United States in 1857, and Belgium in 1860 also minted copper-nickel coins. The lateritic nickel ore (i.e., nickel oxide ore) deposit is formed through the prolonged weathering and leaching enrichment of nickel-containing rocks in tropical or subtropical regions. For instance, in the case of nickeliferous olivine-dominated peridotite, under the long-term influence of CO2-rich acidic groundwaters, the peridotite undergoes decomposition. Magnesium, iron, and nickel enter the solution, while silicon tends to form a colloidal suspension that infiltrates downward. Iron gradually oxidizes and quickly precipitates as iron hydroxide, eventually losing water and forming goethite and hematite. Small amounts of nickel...
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