Question: where is nickel found and in what form

title: Nickel
text: Nickel is one of four elements ( the others are iron , cobalt , and gadolinium ) that are ferromagnetic at approximately room temperature . Alnico permanent magnets based partly on nickel are of intermediate strength between iron - based permanent magnets and rare - earth magnets . The metal is valuable in modern times chiefly in alloys ; about 68 % of world production is used in stainless steel . A further 10 % is used for nickel - based and copper - based alloys , 7 % for alloy steels , 3 % in foundries , 9 % in plating and 4 % in other applications , including the fast - growing battery sector . As a compound , nickel has a number of niche chemical manufacturing uses , such as a catalyst for hydrogenation , cathodes for batteries , pigments and metal surface treatments . Nickel is an essential nutrient for some microorganisms and plants that have enzymes with nickel as an active site .