Nickel - more than just a 5 cent coin

The chemical element nickel is named after a German word for Satan or the Devil, but nickel is now more usually thought of as a North American five cent piece, says Allan Blackman in ep 54 of Elemental.

The name nickel for the chemical element comes from a German word Nickel, meaning Satan or the Devil.

The five cent coins of Canada and the United States are known as nickels, even though the coins contain only small amounts of nickel and are in fact mostly made of copper.

Nitinol, which is made from 55 percent nickel and 45 percent titanium, is also known as memory metal. Bend a length of nnitinol into a shape, heat and the cool it, and it will always remember and bounce back into that shape. Great for spectacle frames!

Another nickel alloy is invar, which doesn't expand when heated, as well as nickel chromium which is used in toaster elements.

Nickel is often used in batteries and has important biological roles, says Professor Allan Blackman at AUT.

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details