Nickel is element number 28, a metal with the symbol Ni. Japan’s 100-yen and 50-yen coins are made of copper and nickel.
Atomic number 2858.69
NiNickelニッケル (nikkeru)
Symbol
Ni
Atomic weight
58.69
Place in the table
Period 4 · Group 10
Atomic weight from the Chemical Society of Japan, “Table of Standard Atomic Weights with Four Significant Figures (2026)”.
Named “false copper”
The symbol Ni comes from a German word meaning “false copper,” because an ore containing nickel looked very much like copper ore. Nickel was discovered in 1751.
Nickel in coins
The 100-yen and 50-yen coins are cupronickel: out of every 1,000 parts, 750 are copper and 250 are nickel. The 500-yen coin contains nickel too.
Nickel is in the fourth row of Group 10. Next door, in Group 11, is copper. The “false copper” really does sit beside copper on the periodic table.
Think about it
Q1Why are the 100-yen and 10-yen coins different colors?
Q2A metal once called a fake is now used in money. What do you think of that?
Q3What qualities does a material for coins need?
There is no single right answer. Talking it over with someone at home is a good way to learn.
Did you know? — Of the six coins Japan makes today, three contain nickel: the 500-yen, 100-yen and 50-yen coins.