Other deposits are found in New Caledonia, Australia, Cuba, Indonesia, and elsewhere. Properties Nickel is silvery white and takes on a high polish. It is hard, malleable, ductile, somewhat ferromagnetic, and a fair conductor of heat and electricity. It belongs to the iron-cobalt group of metals and is chiefly valuable for the alloys it forms. Tubing made of copper-nickel alloy is extensively used in making desalination plants for converting sea water into fresh water.
Nickel gives glass a greenish color.
Nickel plating is often used to provide a protective coating for other metals, and finely divided nickel is a catalyst for hydrogenating vegetable oils. The sulfate and the oxides are important compounds. Nickel sulfide fume and dust is recognized as being potentially carcinogenic.