Ni 28

Nickel (Ni)

transition-metal

Period: 4 Group: 10 Block: s

Solid

Standard Atomic Weight

Electron configuration

[Ar] 4s² 3d⁸

Melting point

1454.85 °C (1728 K)

Boiling point

2912.85 °C (3186 K)

Density

8912 kg/m³

Oxidation states

−2, −1, 0, +1, +2, +3, +4

Electronegativity (Pauling)

1.91

Ionization energy (1st)

Discovery year

1751

Atomic radius

135 pm

Details

Name origin German: kupfernickel (false copper).

Discovery country Sweden

Discoverers Axel Cronstedt

Nickel is a silvery transition metal of group 10, valued for corrosion resistance, strength at high temperature, and its ability to form useful alloys. It is ferromagnetic near room temperature and commonly occurs in the +2 oxidation state, although several other states are known in coordination chemistry. Natural nickel is mostly found in sulfide and laterite ores, and it is a key metal for stainless steels, superalloys, plating, catalysts, and rechargeable batteries.

Nickel is silvery white and takes on a high polish. It is hard, malleable, ductile, somewhat ferromagnetic, and a fair conductor of heat and electricity. It belongs to the iron-cobalt group of metals and is chiefly valuable for the alloys it forms.

The name derives from the German Nickel for "deceptive little spirit" because miners called mineral niccolite (NiAs) by the name Kupfernickel (false copper) because it resembled copper ores in appearance, but no copper was found in the ore. It was discovered by the Swedish metallurgist Axel-Frederik Cronstedt in 1751.

Nickel was discovered by the Swedish chemist Axel Fredrik Cronstedt in the mineral niccolite (NiAs) in 1751. Today, most nickel is obtained from the mineral pentlandite (NiS·2FeS). Most of the world's supply of nickel is mined in the Sudbury region of Ontario, Canada. It is believed that this large deposit of nickel ore is a result of an ancient meteor impact.

From the German word Nickel (Satan), and from kupfernickel, Old Nick's copper. Cronstedt discovered nickel in 1751 in kupfernickel (niccolite).

Read about Nickel on Wikipedia

Images

Properties

Physical

Atomic radius (empirical) 135 pm

Covalent radius 124 pm

Van der Waals radius 163 pm

Metallic radius 115 pm

Density

Molar volume 0.0066 L/mol

Phase at STP solid

Melting point 1454.85 °C

Boiling point 2912.85 °C

Thermal conductivity 90.9 W/(m·K)

Specific heat capacity 0.444 J/(g·K)

Molar heat capacity 26.07 J/(mol·K)

Crystal structure fcc

Chemical

Electronegativity (Pauling) 1.91

Electronegativity (Allen) 1.88

Electron affinity

Ionization energy (1st)

Ionization energy (2nd)

Ionization energy (3rd)

Ionization energy (4th)

Ionization energy (5th)

Oxidation states −2, −1, 0, +1, +2, +3, +4

Valence electrons 10

Electron configuration

Electron configuration (semantic)

Thermodynamic

Heat of fusion 0.18116806 eV

Heat of vaporization 3.838939 eV

Heat of sublimation 4.457688 eV

Heat of atomization 4.457688 eV

Atomization enthalpy

Nuclear

Stable isotopes 5

Discovery year 1751

Abundance

Abundance (Earth's crust) 84 mg/kg

Abundance (ocean)

Reactivity

N/A

Crystal Structure

Lattice constant a 352 pm

Electronic Structure

Electrons per shell 2, 8, 16, 2

Identifiers

CAS number 7440-02-0

Term symbol

InChI InChI=1S/Ni

InChI Key PXHVJJICTQNCMI-UHFFFAOYSA-N

Electron Configuration Measured

Ion charge

Protons 28

Electrons 28

Charge Neutral

Configuration Ni: 3d⁸ 4s²

[Ar] 3d⁸ 4s²

1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 3d⁸ 4s²

Orbital diagram

↑↓

2/2

↑↓

2/2

↑↓

6/6

↑↓

2/2

↑↓

6/6

↑↓

2/2

↑↓

↑

8/10 2↑

Total electrons: 28 Unpaired: 2

Atomic model

Protons 28

Neutrons 32

Electrons 28

Mass number 60

Stability Stable

Isotopes change neutron count, mass, and stability — not the electron configuration of a neutral atom.

Schematic atomic model, not to scale.

Atomic Fingerprint

Emission / Absorption Spectrum

Emission Visible: 380–750 nm

Isotope Distribution

Mass number	Atomic mass (u)	Natural abundance	Half-life
60 Stable	59.93078588 ± 0.00000052	26.2230%	Stable
61 Stable	60.93105557 ± 0.00000052	1.1399%	Stable
62 Stable	61.92834537 ± 0.00000055	3.6346%	Stable
64 Stable	63.92796682 ± 0.00000058	0.9255%	Stable

Measured

Phase / State

Solid 25 °C (298.15 K)

Reason: 1429.8 °C below melting point (1454.85 °C)

Melting point 1454.85 °C

Boiling point 2912.85 °C

Below melting by 1429.8 °C

0 K Current temperature: 25 °C 6000 K

Phase timeline

Schematic, not to scale

Solid

Liquid

Gas

Melting

Boiling

25°C

Solid

Liquid

Gas

Current

Phase transition points

Melting point Literature

1454.85 °C

Boiling point Literature

2912.85 °C

Current phase Calculated
Solid

Transition energies

Heat of fusion Literature

0.18116806 eV

Energy required to melt 1 mol at melting point

Heat of vaporization Literature

3.838939 eV

Energy required to vaporize 1 mol at boiling point

Heat of sublimation Literature

4.457688 eV

Energy required to sublime 1 mol at sublimation point

Density

Reference density Literature

8912 kg/m³

At standard conditions

Current density Calculated

8912 kg/m³

At standard conditions

Atomic Spectra

Showing 10 of 28 Atomic Spectra. Sorted by ion charge (ascending).

Lines Holdings ?

Ion	Charge	Total lines	Transition probabilities	Level designations
Ni I	0	576	522	522
Ni II	+1	249	208	208
Ni III	+2	128	50	50
Ni IV	+3	216	169	169
Ni V	+4	1582	1566	1582
Ni VII	+6	24	24	24
Ni IX	+8	38	20	38
Ni X	+9	41	0	41

NIST Lines Holdings →

Levels Holdings ?

Ion	Charge	Levels
Ni I	0	288
Ni II	+1	719
Ni III	+2	345
Ni IV	+3	236
Ni V	+4	324
Ni VI	+5	273
Ni VII	+6	45
Ni VIII	+7	44
Ni IX	+8	31
Ni X	+9	34

NIST Levels Holdings →

28 Ni 58.6934

Nickel — Atomic Orbital Visualizer

[Ar]4s23d8

Energy levels 2 8 16 2

Oxidation states -2, -1, 0, +1, +2, +3, +4

HOMO 3d n=3 · l=2 · m=-2

Nickel — Atomic Orbital Visualizer Preview

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28 Ni 58.6934

Nickel — Crystal Structure Visualizer

Face-Centered Cubic · Pearson cF4

Experimental

Pearson cF4

Coord. № 12

Packing 74.000%

Nickel — Crystal Structure Visualizer Preview

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Ionic Radii

Charge	Coordination	Spin	Radius
+2	4	N/A	55.00000000000001 pm
+2	4	N/A	49 pm
+2	5	N/A	63 pm
+2	6	N/A	69 pm
+3	6	low	56.00000000000001 pm
+3	6	high	60 pm
+4	6	low	48 pm

Compounds

58.693 u

Ni+2

58.693 u

62.930 u

Ni+3

58.693 u

61.928 u

58.934 u

56.940 u

55.942 u

59.931 u

64.930 u

60.931 u

65.929 u

57.935 u

Ni+2

59.931 u

52.968 u

63.928 u

Isotopes (4)

The sulfate and the oxides are important compounds. Natural nickel is a mixture of five stable isotopes; nine other unstable isotopes are known.

Mass number	Atomic mass (u)	Natural abundance	Half-life	Decay mode
60 Stable	59.93078588 ± 0.00000052	26.2230% ± 0.0150%	Stable	stable
61 Stable	60.93105557 ± 0.00000052	1.1399% ± 0.0013%	Stable	stable
62 Stable	61.92834537 ± 0.00000055	3.6346% ± 0.0040%	Stable	stable
64 Stable	63.92796682 ± 0.00000058	0.9255% ± 0.0019%	Stable	stable

60 Stable

Atomic mass (u) 59.93078588 ± 0.00000052

Natural abundance 26.2230% ± 0.0150%

Half-life Stable

Decay mode

stable

61 Stable

Atomic mass (u) 60.93105557 ± 0.00000052

Natural abundance 1.1399% ± 0.0013%

Half-life Stable

Decay mode

stable

62 Stable

Atomic mass (u) 61.92834537 ± 0.00000055

Natural abundance 3.6346% ± 0.0040%

Half-life Stable

Decay mode

stable

64 Stable

Atomic mass (u) 63.92796682 ± 0.00000058

Natural abundance 0.9255% ± 0.0019%

Half-life Stable

Decay mode

stable

Spectral Lines

Showing 50 of 433 Spectral Lines. Only spectral lines with measured intensity are shown by default.

Wavelength (nm)	Intensity	Ion stage	Type	Transition	Accuracy	Source
385.82968 nm	1200	Ni I	emission	3d9.(2D).4s 1D → 3d9.(2D).4p 3F*	Measured	NIST
380.71402 nm	700	Ni I	emission	3d9.(2D).4s 1D → 3d9.(2D).4p *	Measured	NIST
547.6904 nm	180	Ni I	emission	3d10 1S → 3d9.(2D).4p 1P*	Measured	NIST
383.16908 nm	110	Ni I	emission	3d9.(2D).4s 1D → 3d9.(2D).4p 3P*	Measured	NIST
397.35547 nm	110	Ni I	emission	3d9.(2D).4s 1D → 3d9.(2D).4p 3P*	Measured	NIST
440.1541 nm	110	Ni I	emission	3d8.(3F).4s.4p.(3P) 5D → 3d8.4s.(4F).5s 5F	Measured	NIST
471.4417 nm	110	Ni I	emission	3d8.(3F).4s.4p.(3P) 5G → 3d8.4s.(4F).5s 5F	Measured	NIST
503.5362 nm	100	Ni I	emission	3d9.(2D).4p 3F* → 3d9.(2D<5/2>).4d 2[9/2]	Measured	NIST
508.0533 nm	100	Ni I	emission	3d9.(2D).4p 3F* → 3d9.(2D<5/2>).4d 2[9/2]	Measured	NIST
464.8652 nm	75	Ni I	emission	3d8.(3F).4s.4p.(3P) 5G → 3d8.4s.(4F).5s 5F	Measured	NIST
460.4987 nm	65	Ni I	emission	3d8.(3F).4s.4p.(3P) 5G → 3d8.4s.(4F).5s 5F	Measured	NIST
508.111 nm	65	Ni I	emission	3d9.(2D).4p 1F* → 3d9.(2D<3/2>).4d 2[7/2]	Measured	NIST
447.0477 nm	55	Ni I	emission	3d8.(3F).4s.4p.(3P) 5D → 3d8.4s.(4F).5s 5F	Measured	NIST
501.7576 nm	50	Ni I	emission	3d8.(3F).4s.4p.(3P) 5F → 3d8.4s.(4F).5s 5F	Measured	NIST
478.6535 nm	45	Ni I	emission	3d8.(3F).4s.4p.(3P) 5G → 3d8.4s.(4F).5s 5F	Measured	NIST
485.5411 nm	45	Ni I	emission	3d9.(2D).4p 3P* → 3d9.(2D<5/2>).4d 2[3/2]	Measured	NIST
498.0173 nm	45	Ni I	emission	3d8.(3F).4s.4p.(3P) 5F → 3d9.(2D<5/2>).4d 2[9/2]	Measured	NIST
490.4412 nm	40	Ni I	emission	3d9.(2D).4p 3P* → 3d9.(2D<5/2>).4d 2[1/2]	Measured	NIST
475.6515 nm	30	Ni I	emission	3d8.(3F).4s.4p.(3P) 5G → 3d8.4s.(4F).5s 5F	Measured	NIST
712.2197 nm	26	Ni I	emission	3d9.(2D).4p 3P* → 3d9.(2D<5/2>).5s 2[5/2]	Measured	NIST
468.6213 nm	23	Ni I	emission	3d8.(3F).4s.4p.(3P) 5G → 3d8.4s.(4F).5s 5F	Measured	NIST
513.7074 nm	23	Ni I	emission	3d8.(1D).4s2 1D → 3d9.(2D).4p 1P*	Measured	NIST
570.9545 nm	23	Ni I	emission	3d8.(1D).4s2 1D → 3d9.(2D).4p 1F*	Measured	NIST
742.2275 nm	23	Ni I	emission	3d9.(2D).4p 3F* → 3d9.(2D<5/2>).5s 2[5/2]	Measured	NIST
471.5762 nm	22	Ni I	emission	3d8.(3F).4s.4p.(3P) 5G → 3d8.4s.(4F).5s 5F	Measured	NIST
480.6993 nm	22	Ni I	emission	3d9.(2D).4p * → 3d8.4s.(4F).5s 3F	Measured	NIST
491.8364 nm	22	Ni I	emission	3d8.(3F).4s.4p.(3P) 3G → 3d8.4s.(4F).5s 3F	Measured	NIST
676.7772 nm	22	Ni I	emission	3d10 1S → 3d9.(2D).4p 3P*	Measured	NIST
511.5392 nm	21	Ni I	emission	3d8.(3F).4s.4p.(3P) 3G → 3d8.4s.(4F).5s 3F	Measured	NIST
483.1176 nm	19	Ni I	emission	3d8.(3F).4s.4p.(3P) 5F → 3d8.4s.(4F).5s 5F	Measured	NIST
446.2455 nm	18	Ni I	emission	3d8.(3F).4s.4p.(3P) 5D → 3d8.4s.(4F).5s 5F	Measured	NIST
460.0359 nm	18	Ni I	emission	3d8.(3F).4s.4p.(3P) 5G → 3d8.4s.(4F).5s 5F	Measured	NIST
460.6221 nm	18	Ni I	emission	3d8.(3F).4s.4p.(3P) 5G → 3d9.(2D<3/2>).4d 2[3/2]	Measured	NIST
501.2443 nm	18	Ni I	emission	3d8.(3F).4s.4p.(3P) 5F → 3d8.4s.(4F).5s 5F	Measured	NIST
493.5831 nm	16	Ni I	emission	3d8.(3F).4s.4p.(3P) 3G → 3d8.4s.(4F).5s 3F	Measured	NIST
504.8847 nm	16	Ni I	emission	3d9.(2D).4p 1F* → 3d9.(2D<3/2>).4d 2[5/2]	Measured	NIST
575.4656 nm	16	Ni I	emission	3d8.(3P).4s2 3P → 3d9.(2D).4p 1P*	Measured	NIST
664.363 nm	16	Ni I	emission	3d8.(1D).4s2 1D → 3d9.(2D).4p 3P*	Measured	NIST
739.3676 nm	16	Ni I	emission	3d8.(3F).4s2 3F → 3d8.(1D).4s2 1D	Measured	NIST
517.656 nm	13	Ni I	emission	3d9.(2D).4p 1D* → 3d9.(2D<3/2>).4d 2[3/2]	Measured	NIST
559.2262 nm	13	Ni I	emission	3d8.(3P).4s2 3P → 3d8.(3F).4s.4p.(3P) 3D	Measured	NIST
625.6355 nm	13	Ni I	emission	3d8.(1D).4s2 1D → 3d9.(2D).4p 3P*	Measured	NIST
568.2199 nm	12	Ni I	emission	3d8.(3F).4s.4p.(3P) 3F → 3d9.(2D<3/2>).4d 2[7/2]	Measured	NIST
571.1888 nm	10	Ni I	emission	3d8.(3P).4s2 3P → 3d8.(3F).4s.4p.(3P) 3F	Measured	NIST
589.2872 nm	10	Ni I	emission	3d8.(3P).4s2 3P → 3d9.(2D).4p 1P*	Measured	NIST
610.8116 nm	10	Ni I	emission	3d8.(1D).4s2 1D → 3d9.(2D).4p 3D*	Measured	NIST
617.6811 nm	10	Ni I	emission	3d8.(3F).4s.4p.(3P) 3F → 3d9.(2D<5/2>).4d 2[9/2]	Measured	NIST
631.4659 nm	10	Ni I	emission	3d8.(3P).4s2 3P → 3d9.(2D).4p 1D*	Measured	NIST
691.4559 nm	10	Ni I	emission	3d8.(3P).4s2 3P → 3d9.(2D).4p 3P*	Measured	NIST
558.7858 nm	9	Ni I	emission	3d8.(3P).4s2 3P → 3d8.(3F).4s.4p.(3P) 3D	Measured	NIST

Extended Properties

Covalent Radii (Extended)

Covalent radius (Pyykkö)

Covalent radius (Pyykkö, double)

Covalent radius (Pyykkö, triple)

Covalent radius (Bragg)

Van der Waals Radii

Batsanov

Alvarez

UFF

MM3

Atomic & Metallic Radii

Atomic radius (Rahm)

Metallic radius (C12)

Numbering Scales

Mendeleev

Pettifor

Glawe

Electronegativity Scales

Ghosh

Miedema

Gunnarsson–Lundqvist

Robles–Bartolotti

Polarizability & Dispersion

Dipole polarizability

Dipole polarizability (unc.)

C₆

C₆ (Gould–Bučko)

Chemical Affinity

Proton affinity

Gas basicity

Miedema Parameters

Miedema molar volume

Miedema electron density

Supply Risk & Economics

Production concentration

Relative supply risk

Reserve distribution

Political stability (top producer)

Political stability (top reserve)

Phase Transitions & Allotropes

Melting point	1728.15 K
Boiling point	3186.15 K

Oxidation State Categories

+1 extended

+3 extended

0 extended

+4 extended

−2 extended

−1 extended

+2 main

Advanced Reference Data

Screening Constants (7)

n	Orbital	σ
1	s	0.6474
2	p	3.9048
2	s	7.7874
3	d	15.4705
3	p	13.915
3	s	13.039
4	s	22.2892

Crystal Radii Detail (7)

Charge	CN	Spin	r_crystal (pm)	Origin
2	IV		69
2	IVSQ		63
2	V		77	estimated,
2	VI		83	from r^3 vs V plots,
3	VI	LS	70	from r^3 vs V plots,
3	VI	HS	74	estimated,
4	VI	LS	62	from r^3 vs V plots,

Isotope Decay Modes (54)

Isotope	Mode	Intensity
48	2p	70%
48	B+	30%
48	B+p	—
49	B+	100%
49	B+p	83.4%
50	B+	100%
50	B+p	73%
50	2p	14%
51	B+	100%
51	B+p	87.2%

X‑ray Scattering Factors (504)

Energy (eV)	f₁	f₂
10	—	1.37727
10.1617	—	1.38064
10.3261	—	1.38401
10.4931	—	1.3874
10.6628	—	1.39079
10.8353	—	1.39419
11.0106	—	1.39982
11.1886	—	1.44104
11.3696	—	1.48347
11.5535	—	1.52716

Additional Data

Estimated Crustal Abundance

The estimated element abundance in the earth's crust.

8.4×101 milligrams per kilogram

References (1)

[5] Nickel https://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele028.html

Estimated Oceanic Abundance

The estimated element abundance in the earth's oceans.

5.6×10-4 milligrams per liter

References (1)

[5] Nickel https://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele028.html

Sources

Sources of this element.

Nickel is found as a constituent in most meteorites and often serves as one of the criteria for distinguishing a meteorite from other minerals. Iron meteorites, or siderites, may contain iron alloyed with from 5 percent to nearly 20 percent nickel. Nickel is obtained commercially from pentlandite and pyrrhotite of the Sudbury region of Ontario, a district that produces about 30 percent of the world's supply of nickel.

Other deposits are found in New Caledonia, Australia, Cuba, Indonesia, and elsewhere.

References (1)

[6] Nickel https://periodic.lanl.gov/28.shtml

References

(9)

1 PubChem

Data deposited in or computed by PubChem

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2 Atomic Mass Data Center (AMDC), International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

The half-life and atomic mass data was provided by the Atomic Mass Data Center at the International Atomic Energy Agency.

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3 IUPAC Commission on Isotopic Abundances and Atomic Weights (CIAAW)

Nickel

Element data are cited from the Atomic weights of the elements (an IUPAC Technical Report). The IUPAC periodic table of elements can be found at https://iupac.org/what-we-do/periodic-table-of-elements/. Additional information can be found within IUPAC publication doi:10.1515/pac-2015-0703 Copyright © 2020 International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry.

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4 IUPAC Periodic Table of the Elements and Isotopes (IPTEI)

The information are cited from Pure Appl. Chem. 2018; 90(12): 1833-2092, https://doi.org/10.1515/pac-2015-0703.

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License note: Copyright (c) 2020 International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry. The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) contribution within Pubchem is provided under a CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license, unless otherwise stated.

5 Jefferson Lab, U.S. Department of Energy

Nickel

Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (Jefferson Lab) is one of 17 national laboratories funded by the U.S. Department of Energy. The lab's primary mission is to conduct basic research of the atom's nucleus using the lab's unique particle accelerator, known as the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF). For more information visit https://www.jlab.org/

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License note: Please see citation and linking information: https://education.jlab.org/faq/index.html

6 Los Alamos National Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy

Nickel

The periodic table at the LANL (Los Alamos National Laboratory) contains basic element information together with the history, source, properties, use, handling and more. The provenance data may be found from the link under the source name.

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7 NIST Physical Measurement Laboratory

Nickel

The periodic table contains NIST's critically-evaluated data on atomic properties of the elements. The provenance data that include data for atomic spectroscopy, X-ray and gamma ray, radiation dosimetry, nuclear physics, and condensed matter physics may be found from the link under the source name. Ref: https://www.nist.gov/pml/atomic-spectra-database

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8 PubChem Elements

Nickel

This section provides all form of data related to element Nickel.

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9 PubChem Elements

Nickel

The element property data was retrieved from publications.

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Last updated: May 1, 2026

Data verified: May 12, 2026

Content is reviewed against latest scientific data.