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Nickel

Element 28 · Transition metal

Specimen

Atomic number
28
Atomic mass
58.693
State at room temperature
Solid
Melting point
1,455 °C
Boiling point
2,913 °C
Density
8.912 g/cm³
Discovered
1751

Atomic mass from IUPAC.1 Other physical data from PubChem.2

Can I eat it?

In food and water
Harmful. Nickel is in food and drinking water. In 2020, EFSA set a tolerable daily intake of 13 µg per kg of body weight. EFSA said that current intake may be a concern for infants, toddlers and children. 3

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The atom

Ni
ShellElectrons
1 (K) 2
2 (L) 8
3 (M) 16
4 (N) outermost 2
Total28

Configuration [Ar] 3d⁸ 4s²

3d ↑ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↑ ↑
4s ↑ ↓
A shell diagram: each ring is an electron shell and each dot is one electron. The nucleus holds 28 protons. The outermost shell is shown in red. Electrons do not travel on rings: they fill orbitals, regions where an electron is likely to be found. The boxes are those orbitals for the electrons outside the Ar core, with one arrow per electron.

Related elements

Group 10
Pd Palladium Pt Platinum Ds Darmstadtium

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Sources

  1. 1

    IUPAC Commission on Isotopic Abundances and Atomic Weights (CIAAW), 2024. Abridged Standard Atomic Weights 2024 .

    The atomic mass shown for the 84 elements that have a standard atomic weight.

  2. 2

    National Center for Biotechnology Information (PubChem), 2026. Periodic Table of Elements .

    Electron configuration, melting and boiling points, density and discovery year for all 118 elements.

  3. 3

    European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), 2025. Metals as contaminants in food , Milestones, 2014 (chromium) and 2020 (nickel).

    • EFSA updates its scientific advice on the risks to human health from nickel in food and in drinking water ... from 2.8 micrograms per kilogram of body weight to 13 micrograms per kilogram of body weight ... current chronic dietary exposure to nickel may be of concern in young people (infants, toddlers, children)
  4. 4

    National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), 2026. Atomic Weights and Isotopic Compositions for All Elements .

    Isotopic composition of each element; the most abundant isotope sets the neutron count in the nucleus view.