1751: Nickel - The book of science

Nickel
Atomic number 28
Stuff that annoys
Commentary

Los—Axel Fredrik Cronstedt elements

Nickel

Axel Fredrik Cronstedt,
a student of Georg Brandt and
a mining expert for the Swedish
Bureau of Mines, at first mistook
the red ore as a copper mineral.
Miners called it kupfernickel after copper
and Nickel, a mischievous sprite
whom miners blamed for the fact
you couldn’t get copper from it.

Atomic number 28

Occurs with iron
in meterorites
and Earth’s core.
Ancient Chinese
included it in bronze,
it is thought, unintentionally.
Used in coins,
stainless steel and other alloys,
magnets, rechargeable batteries,
and hydrogenating catalysts.

Stuff that annoys

Humans depend
on enzymes
that contain nickel.
My sister
is allergic to nickel
on contact.

I might be allergic to nickel, too; a persistent dermatitis on my fingers is a symptom of something.

See also in The book of science:

1735—Cobalt—Stockholm—Georg Brandt
1869—Periodic table—Dmitri Mendeleev

Readings on wikipedia:

“Axel Fredrik Cronstedt”
“Nickel”
“Timeline of chemical element discoveries”

Other readings:

“Niccolum Nickel,” Elementymology & Elements Multidict, by Peter van der Krogt
“Mineral Species containing Nickel (Ni),” Mineralogy Database, David Barthelmy