Discovery
Nickel is in metallic meteorites, so it has been used since ancient times. Elements containing nickel have been found from around 5000 B.C (one example would be beads from graves in Egypt). Although it has been used for an extremely long time, it was not until the 1750s until nickel was identified as an element. In the 1600s copper miners were continuously finding a red ore that looked like copper, but could not extract any copper from the ore (we now know that this ore is actually nickel arsenide). In their frustration they nick-named it "kupfernickel" which literally means "goblin's copper".
The Man Who Discovered Nickel
Between 1751 and 1754 Alex Cronstedt, a Swedish chemist, carried out many tests and experiments to figure out what "kupfernickel" really was. He found out that the results he found were not results that would have occurred from a copper compound. He heated up "kupfernickel" at a high temperature to find out that a white metal came out, not copper. This led him to believe that he had discovered a brand new element, which he had. Axel named his new discovery nickel after the "kupfernickel" that he had isolated it from.
Axel Cronstedt was born on December 23, 1722. From the very beginning he pursued chemistry and science. He served as a pupil to George Brandt, who discovered cobalt. Axel was greatest known for discovering nickel and tungsten and was a great chemist. In 1753 he was elected of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. Unfortunately, he died on August 19, 1765, at the age of 43. Although his life was short it was full of success and his chemical discoveries still contribute to science today.
Axel Cronstedt was born on December 23, 1722. From the very beginning he pursued chemistry and science. He served as a pupil to George Brandt, who discovered cobalt. Axel was greatest known for discovering nickel and tungsten and was a great chemist. In 1753 he was elected of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. Unfortunately, he died on August 19, 1765, at the age of 43. Although his life was short it was full of success and his chemical discoveries still contribute to science today.