Properties
Nickel is a hard, silver-white metal. It is hard, malleable, ductile and can be polished very well. Nickel is ferromagnetic like iron and cobalt.
Applications
Nickel is a major alloying metal used mainly for steel refining. It makes steel corrosion resistant and increases its hardness, toughness, and ductility. Pure nickel metal is used in finely divided form as a catalyst in the hydrogenation of unsaturated fatty acids .