October 31 - November 3, 2004
Element of the Day
Thursday, October 14
The nomenclature stems from the
German word kupfernickel, which means false copper. It was discovered while
trying to extract copper from a mineral.
Discovered by: Axel Fredrik Cronstedt in Sweden, 1751.
Uses: Nickel is relatively inert to oxidation, thus it is used extensively for plating metals. Hydrogenase enzymes generally contain Nickel.