Timeline of nickel
From Timelines
This is a timeline of nickel. One of the most widely used metals on the planet, nickel is used in over 300,000 different products. It is most often found in steels and metal alloys. It is also used in the production of batteries and permanent magnets.[1]
Contents
Big picture
| Time period | Development summary |
|---|---|
| Ancient history | Nickel is already used industrially as an alloying metal almost 2,000 years before it is isolated and recognized as a new element.[2] |
| 15th century | German miners, who believe they can extract copper from nickel ores in Saxony, refer to the metal as kupfernickel ("the devil's copper"), partly due to their futile attempts to extract copper from the ore, but also likely in part due to the health effects caused by the high arsenic content in the ore.[1] |
| 19th century | Nickel's use in plating and alloys with copper and zinc begins.[3] Since the mid-century, nickel is the component of coins in the United States, India, Switzerland, and Canada.<?> |
| 20th century | Early in the century, the discovery of large scale deposits in Russia and South Africa makes large-scale production of nickel possible. A significant increase in demand of the metal results from World War I and World War II.[1] Along with development in society, the nickel industry develops rapidly since 1974, and the metal plays an important role in the stainless steel industry, battery industry and certain other industries. Nickel consumption increases greatly between 1974 and 2011.[4] |
| 21st century | As of 2010, the largest producers of nickel are Russia, Canada, Australia, and Indonesia. The largest producers of refined nickel are Norilsk Nickel, Vale S.A., and Jinchuan Group Ltd. Only a small percentage of nickel is produced from recycled materials,[1] however, nickel recycling industry is developing fast.[4] |
Full timeline
| Year | Event type | Details | Country/region |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3500 BC | Syrian bronzes contain a small amount of nickel.[4] | Syria | |
| 1700 BC – 1400 BC | Chinese manuscripts suggest use of white copper (cupronickel).[4] | China | |
| 1500 BC | Chinese documents from that time make reference to "white copper" (baitong), whis is very likely an alloy of nickel and silver.[1] | China | |
| 235 BC | Coins in China are made of nickel.[4] | China | |
| 200 BC | The Chinese make substantial amounts of a white alloy from zinc and copper-nickel ore found in Yunnan province. The alloy, known as pai-t'ung, is exported to the Middle East and even to Europe.[2] | China | |
| 1751 | Swedish chemist Axel Fredrik Cronstedt first extracts pure nickel from the mineral niccolite (NiAs).[1][3] | ||
| 1775 | Swedish mineralogist Torbern Bergman first fully purifies nickel. | ||
| 1776 | It is established that the Chinese alloy pai-t'ung, now called nickel-silver, is composed of copper, nickel, and zinc.[2] | ||
| 1837 | G. Bird describes electrodeposition of nickel chloride or sulphate on platinum. This process results in a thin crust of nickel on the platinum substrate.[5] | ||
| 1844 | Demand of nickel-silver is stimulated in England by the development of silver electroplating, for which it is found to be the most desirable base. The use of pure nickel as a corrosion-resistant electroplated coating would develop a little later.[2] | United Kingdom | |
| 1860 | An alloy of 25% nickel and 75% copper, essentially white in color, is adopted for coinage in Belgium.[2] | Belgium | |
| 1865 | Application | An alloy copper-nickel is adopted for coinage in the United States.[2] | United States |
| 1869 | Application | Dr I. Adams in the United States patents a nickel ammonium sulphate bath.[5] | United States |
| 1877 | Production of nickel starts in New Caledonia in the South Pacific.[2] | New Caledonia | |
| 1881 | Application | Coins of nearly pure nickel are first used in Switzerland.[4][2] | Switzerland |
| 1889 | British engineer James Riley makes a presentation to the Iron and Steel Institute of Great Britain on how the introduction of nickel could strenghten traditional steels. Riley's presentation results in a growing awareness of nickel's beneficial alloying properties and coincides with the discovery of large nickel deposits in New Caledonia and Canada.[1][6][7] | United Kingdom | |
| 1890 | Nickel carbonyl, or tetracarbonylnickel, Ni(CO)4, is discovered. This compound, in which nickel exhibits a zero oxidation state, is used primarily as a carrier of carbon monoxide in the synthesis of acrylates (compounds used in the manufacture of plastics) from acetylene and alcohols. Nickel carbonyl is the first of a class of compounds called metal carbonyls to be discovered.[8] | ||
| 1898 | Invar, an alloy containing 36% nickel, is discovered. With the balance iron, invar is notable for its extremely small thermal expansion. Along with later-developed nickel alloys, invar would have many applications ranging from thermostats to balance wheels for watches, metal-to-glass seals essential to electric lights, and radio tubes.[2] | ||
| 1901 | Thomas Edison is awarded a patent por nickel-zinc (NiZn) chemistry. However, Edison would never be able to commercialize NiZn products. NiZn electrochemistry is found to have great potential because of its high energy density, high efficiency rating and temperature tolerance advantages compared to other battery chemistries.[9] | United States | |
| 1905 | The Copper Cliff-Sudbury, Ontario region in Canada becomes the world's largest source of nickel.[2] | Canada | |
| 1930 – 1935 | Application | A remarkable group of nickel-containing permanent-magnet alloys is developed in Japan.[2] | Japan |
| 1970 – 1975 | Application | The nickel-hydrogen battery is proposed as the leading candidate for rechargeable aerospace batteries.[10] | |
| c.1979 | Production | Nickel production in Soviet Russia surpasses that in Canada.[2] | Russia |
| 1993 | Stanford University chemist Morris Eisenberg creates a new electrolyte that enables a significant increase in the NiZn battery cycle life.[9] | United States | |
| 1998 (December) | Financial | Nickel trades at a record low of 3730.50.[11] | |
| 2007 (May) | Financial | Nickel trades at an all time high of 54050.[11] | |
| 2010 | Production | As of date, the largest producers of nickel are Russia, Canada, Australia, and Indonesia.[1] |
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See also
External links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 "Metal Profile: Nickel". thebalance.com. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 "Nickel processing". britannica.com. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "THE HISTORY OF NICKEL". twin-metals.com. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 "Nickel: discovery and industry development". metalpedia.asianmetal.com. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "The History of Nickel Plating". thomasnet.com. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
- ↑ Sparrow, Giles. Nickel.
- ↑ Dennis, W.H. Metallurgy: 1863-1963.
- ↑ "Nickel". britannica.com. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "History". zincfive.com. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
- ↑ "A History of Nickel Hydrogen Batteries" (PDF). electrochem.org. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Nickel". tradingeconomics.com. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
