82 TRANSACTIONS OF THE CANADIAN INSTITUTE. [VoL. II. 



metal in an impure state and that it still contained iron. At about this 

 time the fall of meteorites, containing considerable quantities of Nickel, 

 was announced from different parts of the world, so that towards the end 

 of the 1 8th century the existence of Nickel was admitted and its pro- 

 perties understood. 



The first Nickel works in Europe were built in 1824, in lower Austria, 

 by Gersdorf, whose name we have preserved in the mineral Gersdorfite. 

 The operations were at first confined to the arsenides, and it was not 

 till 1838, when Berzelius, the celebrated Swedish chemist, discovered 

 Nickel in the Pyrrhotite of Klefva in Sweden, that Metallurgists began 

 to pay attention to the Sulphides. The first experiments were not verj'' 

 successful; the Iron was not separated till all the Sulphur had been 

 removed ; the ore was roasted as strongly as possible and an iron alloy 

 with about 60 per cent Ni produced. This was smelted down several times 

 with Quartz, and finally a product was obtained which contained 70 to 80 

 per cent Ni, 18.22 Cu, 1.52 Fe, and was called crystallized Nickel. 

 This process required a great outlay in fuel and labor, and more Nickel 

 was lost in the slag than was won. 



Later, about 1850, other experiments were made, leaving the Sulphur 

 in the ore, till all the Iron had been removed. 



In 1856, the discovery of an extensive deposit of Nickel ore in Penn- 

 sylvania increased the use of the metal still more, and again in 1874, 

 through the discovery of Nickel in New Caledonia, the price of Nickel 

 was still further lowered and many of the works in Norway compelled to 

 stop work. Finally, the discovery of extensive Nickel-bearing deposits 

 in Algoma district (Canada) must exercise a great influence on the use 

 of Nickel. 



Physical Properties. — Nickel has specific gravity, 8.9. Point of fusion 

 1 392°- 1 420° C. Nickel has the property of absorbing gases in the 

 molten state and giving them out again on cooling, thus forming blisters 

 and making castings very difficult. Through the improvements of 

 Wharton in Philadelphia, and Fleitmann in Iserlohn, who employed 

 various methods to purify the metal, castitigs of 100 lbs. or more can be 

 made. It possesses great malleability; sheet Nickel of .015" thickness can 

 be produced without difficulty. 



One gram can be drawn out into wire 600 feet long Nickel can be 

 welded on Steel or Iron, the covering can be made so thin as .00039 ""•• 

 The strength of Nickel is greater than that of Iron and about equal to 

 Bessemer Steel. 



Chemical Properties. — Nickel does not oxidize at ordinary tempera- 



