Nickel is a silvery white metal that takes on a high polish. It is hard, malleable, ductile, somewhat ferromagnetic, and a fair conductor of heat and electricity. Nickel is found in most meteorites and often serves as one of the criteria for distinguishing meteorites found on Earth from other minerals.
Nickel is chiefly valuable for the corrosion-resistant alloys it forms such as stainless steel.
Tubing made of a copper-nickel alloy is used in desalination plants where sea water is converted into fresh water. Nickel is also used extensively in coinage and in making nickel steel for armour plate and burglar-proof vaults. When nickel is added to glass, it gives the glass a green colour. Finely divided nickel is a catalyst for hydrogenating vegetable oils. Nickel is also used in batteries and for electroplating which provides a protective coating for other metals.