100 



Its specific 

 gravity . 



Its properties 

 for working. 



An excellent 

 conductor of 

 heat. 



Attempt to 

 bum nickel 

 ■without suc- 



PROPERTIE8 OF NICKEL. 



stream of oxigen gas, it is converted into a grayish green 

 oxide*. 



Richter gives the specific gravity of this metal cast at 

 8.279, and when hammered at 8,;666; I do not know at what 

 temperature. At 10°Reaum. [54 '5* F.], and 2*7 in. 8 lines 

 [29*4 in. Eng.] of the barometer, I found the specific gra- 

 vity of nickel slightly hammered 8*402; and thoroughly 

 hammered, of which the needle was composed, 8*932. 



The difficlty of fusion of nickel is particularly favourable 

 to its bring wrought. It is ductile and tenacious, and may 

 even be drawn into the slenderest wire. Sokleriag it suc- 

 ceeded with me but imperfectly ; and I found the rods made 

 by Richter not well united, so that it was difficult to find a 

 -uniform bar for a needle. The oxide that forms at a red 

 heat is probably the cause of the imperfection of the sol- 

 dering, for the parts overlapping each other may be separa- 

 ted without much resistance. When nickel has been ex- 

 posed to a white heat, and cooled, it may be bent like lead, 

 without breaking: nor does the oxide form a brittle coat, 

 scaling off like that of iron when bent; it is rather pulveru- 

 lent. The metal has but little hardness and elactieity ; and 

 on this account its tenacity and ductility are the greater. 

 It may b^ filed, but it wears the file. To work it the files 

 should be first soaked in oil. It is quickly heated by filing. 



To appreciate its power of conducting heat, I made an 

 experiment with a wire of nickel 7 inches long, 3 lines thick, 

 and weighing an ounce and half. By its side I placed two 

 s milar wires, one oT copper and the other of zinc. One 

 end of each was inserted into a bit of wax, the other into an 

 iron ball 2 inches in diameter. The wax at the end of the 

 nickel melted first; those on the copper wire, and on the 

 zinc, did not melt I'll afterward. In t • course of my 



* Last winter I made some experiments on the combustion of nickel 

 in oxigen gas, in the presence of M ssrs. Baader, Ritter, Fuchs, and 

 Horkel; but notwithstanding the fineness of the wire, and all the 

 care I took, I could not succeed. It merely acquired a white heat. 

 We then placed the wire in contact with a walchspring. The latter 

 burned as usual, bet tVe ickel only appeared inclined to burn. In 

 fact its extremity as rounded to a globule, yet it was extinguished 

 as soon as the spring w-is co..su.ek This sufficiently proves the dif- 

 f>ult oxidability of the meial. GtULEX. 



operations 



