Nickel is a chemical element with symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel belongs to the transition metals and is hard and ductile.
Three reasons Nickel stands out
1
Hard metal, used in coins.
2
It is the second most abundant element in the Earth's core, after iron.
3
Superalloys containing this metal are used in jet engine turbine blades that must survive extreme heat.
A familiar metal with a planetary secret
Nickel resists corrosion, mixes readily into alloys, and remains magnetic near room temperature. Stainless steel consumes much of the world’s supply. Earth’s accessible crust holds relatively little because vast amounts sank into the core; some metallic meteorites offer a glimpse of similar iron-nickel material.
Recognizing Nickel in Elementle
If Nickel is the mystery element, guesses below atomic number 28 point up and guesses above it point down. Its symbol is Ni: a green letter matches the same position in that symbol, while a yellow letter belongs in another position.
The family clue turns green for transition metal guesses. Compare Cobalt (Co), number 27 and Copper (Cu), number 29: they share the family clue, but their atomic numbers and symbols help you tell them apart.
Values are reference data, not a specification for every temperature, pressure, or allotrope. Unknown properties are left unavailable. Superheavy-element predictions remain uncertain.
The introduction and original editorial story are adapted from Wikipedia contributors via Periodic-Table-JSON. Element descriptions and their adaptations are available under CC BY-SA 3.0. Numerical attributes use the PubChem periodic-table dataset, retrieved September 22, 2026.