PROPERTIES OF NICKEL. It) 1 



operations I had frequently noticed the extraordinary man- 

 ner in which nickel conducted heat, and this led me to 

 make the above experiment. 



The magnetic effects of nickel attracted mv attention, * ts magnetic 



properly 

 and 1 availed myself of the present opportunity, to exa- v 



mine this remarkable phenomenon. Richter has said, that 

 nickel alloyed with copper retains its magnetic property; 

 and that arsenic, on the contrary, is the real destroyer of 

 magnetism. I have no doubt, that arsenic may weaken the 

 magnetic power of nickel, particularly when it is in consi- 

 derable quantity: but I satisfied myself by my needle of not destroyed 

 '.,",. ., . o • i • by small pox- 



arseniated nickel, that small portions ot arsenic weaken it t i ons f arse . 



only slightly. Hence I shall never judge of the purity of nic > 



nickel by its magnetic action. 



On the other hand I found, that oxigen diminished the but diminish- 



magnetic property of nickel, go that there was a marked ed b ? ox: S en * 



difference between surfaces more or less bright. The me- i ts poles very 



tal I used was divisible with regard to its magnetic property differentia 



,11 i* i ,i it* extent, 



into two portions: the larger was magnetic plus; the smaller, 



which was about a fifth of the whole, was minus. Between 



the two was a point of indifference. 



I tried the action of heat on the magnetic power. After Destroyed by 

 heating the nickel redhot, I found its action evidently weak- healing,, 

 fcned, but its poles were not changed. Heating it redhot a 

 second time diminished its power still more; and after the 

 sixth heating its magnetic property was completely destroy- 

 ed. A similar effect took place with a powerful needle. I 

 satisfied myself of the ease with which this metal ac- 

 quire; ppXrity, by placing a piece within ihe atmosphere of 

 a magnet of moderate power, vvhich acted at 3 inches dis- 

 tance. By this approximation I obtained the same poles as 

 before* but of less intensity. A continued red heat caused 

 the magnetic property to disappear again. A lew blows and in part 

 with a wooden mallet reproduced some slight traces of it; restored oy 

 and its action became stronger, after the nickel had been ° *" 

 forged on the anvil. 



It does not appear probable to me, that the metal, after its polarity 

 being reduced, should acquire polarity without the applica- probably ac- 

 tion of a magnet. The conjectures of Richter too appear to qUir9 ' 

 me inconclusive, when he examined the magnetic power of 



nickel 



