Nickel & Cobalt

• While nickel makes up 0.007% of the earth's crust and is today one of our most useful metals, it was virtually unknown until the 1600s and was not isolated as an element until 1751. Early chemists called it Kupfer-Nickel - kupfer for copper, because nickel was originally found in association with copper ores, and nickel, after the German "Old Nick" or Satan, because it was initially so difficult to extract from those ores.
• Nickel is malleable, resists corrosion, and maintains its mechanical and physical characteristics under extreme temperatures. Once it was isolated and these properties were recognized, nickel assumed a role in commerce and industry. By the early 1800s, nickel was being used to make a nickel-copper-zinc alloy, which could be silver plated. The technique of nickel plating was developed in about 1870. The first pure nickel coin was struck in 1881. Each of these uses continues today.

• It was not until the early 20th century, with the invention of nickel-containing stainless steel, that demand for nickel began to take off. Today, stainless steel is one of the most ubiquitous and versatile materials in the world, and nearly two-thirds of all nickel mined each year is used for its production.
• The application of nickel stainless steel extends into virtually every corner of modern life. Because it is corrosion-resistant, attractive and affordable, stainless steel is used in many applications. The stainless steel kitchen sink, one of the most popular household fixtures of our time, represents the largest single application of stainless steel in the world.
• In addition to its use as an alloying agent in stainless steel, nickel finds myriad other applications. Nickel is a component of conductive inks used to print electronic circuit boards. It is used as a catalyst in chemical processes. It is a critical element of the diodes of many types of rechargeable batteries. Nickel plating is another application, in such products as automobiles and appliances.

• About 0.001 per cent of the earth's crust is cobalt. It is present in many rocks and soils and is found in nodules found on the ocean floor. More than 200 minerals containing cobalt have been identified. Usually cobalt is recovered as a by-product in the processing of elements like copper, nickel, or gold.
• Cobalt was used in ancient times as an additive to glass, glazes, and other ceramic materials to impart a blue colour. It wasn't until 1900 when cobalt was introduced as a drier in paints and varnishes that it was used in a large-scale application. Cobalt soon became an important alloying element - in wear-resistant and heat-resistant alloys, for tool production and in superalloys, and for gas turbines and jet engines.
• The most visible, every day use of cobalt is in the heating element on your electric stove top.

More information about nickel and cobalt may be obtained from Inco's website: http://www.inco.com.