---
title: "Nickel (Ni) — element 28"
description: "Nickel is element 28, symbol Ni, atomic weight 58.693. Configuration, properties, uses and neighbours."
url: https://atoneplace.net/element/nickel/
site: "At One Place"
---

# Nickel (Ni)

**Nickel — element 28: Ni**

58.693 u · Transition metal · period 4, group 10

Nickel is one of only four elements that are ferromagnetic at room temperature, alongside iron, cobalt and gadolinium. Roughly two-thirds of world production goes into stainless steel, where it is what makes the austenitic grades non-magnetic and easy to form — the test of holding a magnet to a sink is really a test for nickel. It is also the commonest cause of allergic contact dermatitis in the developed world, affecting on the order of 10% of women, which is why the EU regulates how much nickel jewellery may release.

## Properties

- **Atomic number:** 28
- **Symbol:** Ni
- **Standard atomic weight:** 58.693 u
- **Category:** Transition metal
- **Group:** 10
- **Period:** 4
- **Block:** d-block
- **Electron configuration:** [Ar] 4s² 3d⁸
- **Electrons per shell:** 2, 8, 16, 2
- **Melting point:** 1,728 K — 1454.8 °C — 2650.7 °F
- **Boiling point:** 3,186 K — 2912.8 °C — 5275.1 °F
- **Density:** 8.912 g/cm³
- **Electronegativity:** 1.91 (Pauling)
- **Oxidation states:** +2, +3
- **Discovered:** 1751 by Axel Fredrik Cronstedt

## Electron configuration

- **Full:** 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 4s² 3d⁸
- **Noble gas shorthand:** [Ar] 4s² 3d⁸
- **Shells:** K: 2 · L: 8 · M: 16 · N: 2

## What it is used for

- Stainless steel — the 8% in "18/8" cutlery
- Nickel-metal hydride and lithium-ion battery cathodes
- Superalloys for jet engine turbine blades
- Electroplating, both decorative and for wear resistance
- Coinage, including the US five-cent piece that took its name

## Hazards

- A common skin sensitiser; nickel allergy is usually lifelong once acquired
- Nickel refinery dust and nickel subsulfide are classified as carcinogenic by inhalation
- Nickel carbonyl, formed in some refining routes, is extraordinarily toxic

## Neighbours in the table

| Z | Element | Symbol | Mass |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 26 | Iron | Fe | 55.845 |
| 27 | Cobalt | Co | 58.933 |
| 28 | Nickel ← | Ni | 58.693 |
| 29 | Copper | Cu | 63.546 |
| 30 | Zinc | Zn | 65.38 |

## Group 10

Elements in the same group share their outer electron count, which is why they behave similarly in reactions. Nickel sits in group 10 with palladium, platinum, darmstadtium.

## Common questions

### What is the atomic number of nickel?

28. That is the number of protons in its nucleus, which is what defines the element.

### What is the symbol for nickel?

Ni.

### What is the electron configuration of nickel?

1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 4s² 3d⁸, or [Ar] 4s² 3d⁸ in noble-gas shorthand.

### What is the melting point of nickel?

1,728 K — 1454.8 °C — 2650.7 °F

## Related pages

- [Iron (Fe)](https://atoneplace.net/element/iron/)
- [Cobalt (Co)](https://atoneplace.net/element/cobalt/)
- [Copper (Cu)](https://atoneplace.net/element/copper/)
- [Zinc (Zn)](https://atoneplace.net/element/zinc/)
- [Palladium (Pd)](https://atoneplace.net/element/palladium/)
- [Platinum (Pt)](https://atoneplace.net/element/platinum/)
- [Darmstadtium (Ds)](https://atoneplace.net/element/darmstadtium/)

## Sources

- Official vendor product documentation — At One Place (/about/)