Chap. 23*3 t 131 3 



CHAP. XXIII. 



NICKEL. 



Natural Hiftory of Nickel. Metal hcnv obtaintd.Detottates <witb 

 Nitre. Has a fli'tng Repulfion for Silver, and Attraction for Su/~ 

 pkur.'A ufelej; Mineral. 



f I ~A HIS metal derives its name from the mineral in 

 JL which it is contained. It is found united with 

 fulphur and arfenic. Its ores have a coppery red 

 colour, are almoft always covered with a greenifn grey 

 efflorefcence, and have been miftaken for ores of cop- 

 per. The cres of nickel often contain cobalt and 

 iron. Moft of the fulphur and arfenic may be driven 

 off by long continued roafting, and the occafional 

 addition of charcoal, which prevents the arfenic from 

 being rendered more fixed by calcination ; and the 

 green calx which remains may be fufed by the ftrongefl 

 heat of a fmith's forge, together with two or three 

 times its weight of black flux. By thefe means a 

 regulus may be obtained, which, however, is very far 

 from being pure, as it contains much arfenic, cobalt, 

 and iron. In this ftate it is of a white colour with a 

 tinge of red, and has a granulated texture. When this 

 metal is rendered more pure by treatment with ful- 

 phur, charcoal, volatile alkali, and nitre, it becomes 

 extremely infufiblc, lofes fomewhat of its reddifh tinge, 

 and acquires a confiderable degree of malleability. 

 Nickel may be freed from fulphur and arfenic, but it 

 cannot be accurately purified from cobalt and iron, 

 for it is considerably attracted by the magnet, and 

 gives figns of containing cobalt, after the utmoll pains 

 have been taken to obtain it in a pure ftate. It affords 

 K 2 a blue 



