Beft reduced 



alone. 



7S 0N PURE NICKEL* 



the bottom of the crucible. In one crucible which had been 

 expofed to the ftrongeft heat, I obtained a button that weighed 

 an ounce and a half. 



I was lets fuccefsful in my fufion when I mixed the oxide of 

 nickel with porcelain glaze, or when I fimply covered it with 

 this glaze; Co that I was convinced the beft procefs was to re- 

 duce the oxide of nickel directly. 



After much time and patience, I fucceeded in obtaining fe- 

 veral ounces of nickel, which I muft confider as absolutely 

 pure, and I (hall now proceed to defcribe the principal cha- 

 racters that I have perceived in it in this ftate. — To begin 

 with the external characters. 



The colour o( pure nickel is a mean between filverand tin. 



It undergoes no alteration either from the air of the atmof- 

 phere or from the water in it : in other words it is infufceptible 

 of being oxided by the air. • ^ 



It is perfectly malleable; as it may not only be forged into 

 bars when red hot, but hammered on the anvil while cold into 

 very thin plates. This character removes nickel from the clafs 

 of femi-metals to that of perfect metals. 



Its danfity or fpecific gravity is pretty confiderable: from 

 repeated experiments with my hidrometer caft nickel weighs 

 8.279, and forged nickel 8.666. 

 Ductile. * Ls tenac ' 1 V likewife appears confiderable, to judge from its 



great ductility. A piece of caft nickel, weighing five drams 

 allowed itfelf to be flattened, but not without cracking, into 

 a plate of 13 fquare inches Rhynland meafure, which gives 

 let's than -j-^ of an inch for its thicknefs. It might probably 

 be dra^ninto a wire of the fame tenuity. m 



The reft fiance of nickel to fufion is very confiderable, and 

 equals, if it do not furpafs, that of manganele. The reader 

 may have obferved, from my attempts to fufe it, how difficult 

 it is to obtain any thing decilive on this head. 

 A noble metal. A* a temperature fufficiently high the pure oxide of nickej 

 is reducible without the addition of any combuftible matter. 

 Its grea^reti (lance to fufion is the only caufe why this reduc- 

 * tion preterits fo many difficulties. Very little oxidation too is 

 perceptible on keeping this metal in a ftate of incandefcence ; 

 it is merely tarnifhed a little more than platina, gold, orfilver. 

 Nickel therefore belongs not to the clafs of perfect metals 

 merely, but to that of noble metals. 

 Magnetic. The action of the magnet on nickel is not only very confi- 



derable 



External cha- 

 racter of pure 

 nickel. 

 Colour. 

 Unchangeable 

 in the air. 

 Malleable. 



Specific gravity, 



Refractory 



actory. 



