Nickel Mining in Paradise
New Caledonia, an overseas territory of France located approximately 1400 km east of Australia, has what most people would expect from a rather secluded archipelago in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, including a fascinating biodiversity and a mixed population of Melanesian and European descent. Discovered by the celebrated British navigator and explorer James Cook in 1774, the main island, Grande Terre, is surrounded by coral reefs and consists primarily of coastal plains, lush mountains, and valleys. A rich array of flora and fauna, beautiful beaches, a myriad of waterfalls and hiking trails, moderate weather, and a unique blend of indigenous and French cultures make it an appealing tourist destination.
However, it may come as a surprise to many that New Caledonia, which is only half the size of Taiwan and has a population of roughly a quarter of a million, is one of the world’s top producers of nickel, together with Australia, Canada, Indonesia, Russia, Brazil, and the Philippines. The French engineer Jules Garnier first encountered green deposits of nickel-containing minerals in New Caledonia in 1864, and commercial mining operations in the main island began in 1875. The export of nickel ores and ferronickel alloys is today a major driver of the economy in New Caledonia, which boasts some 10-15% of the world reserves of the versatile metal.
The stamp triptych featured in this note was issued in 2010 to highlight the three key steps involved in the production of nickel in New Caledonia, namely the mining of mineral ores, the smelting process, and the transfer of the ensuing silvery-white metal for export. Nickel, often in combination with chromium or small quantities of other transition metals, is extensively used in electroplating applications and in the manufacture of stainless steel and a variety of nonferrous alloys, leading to the material’s enhanced strength and corrosion resistance. Significant quantities of nickel are also used in rechargeable batteries and catalytic hydrogenation reactions. With world production and consumption of nickel on the rise, renewed efforts are made in New Caledonia and elsewhere to minimize the adverse environmental impact of mining and processing of nickel ores. Interestingly, “nickel” (five-cent) coins in the United States, in circulation since 1866, contain only 25% of the metal, the balance being actually copper!
Written by Daniel Rabinovich <drabinov@uncc.edu>.
©2014 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin/Boston
Articles in the same Issue
- Masthead - Full issue pdf
- From the Editor
- Contents
- Treasurer’s Column
- A Time for Renewal
- Dr. Lynn Soby appointed IUPAC Executive Director
- Features
- Synthesis at the Interface of Chemistry and Biology
- Chemistry for the Future Solvay Prize
- Multiple Uses of Chemicals
- IUPAC and OPCW Working Toward Responsible Science
- Chemical Weapons: The Human Toll
- Complementary OPCW Education and Outreach Resources
- IUPAC Wire
- IUPAC Elections for the 2016–2017 Term
- Winners of the 2014 IUPAC-SOLVAY International Award for Young Chemists
- Steven V. Ley wins 2014 IUPAC-ThalesNano Prize in Flow Chemistry
- The InChI Team presented with the 2014 Chemical Structure Association (CSA) Trust Mike Lynch Award
- Data Citation Principles
- 2015 Year of Soils and Year of Light
- The Project Place
- A critical review of the proposed definitions of fundamental chemical quantities and their impact on chemical communities
- On the definition of the mole
- Basic Terminology of Crystal Engineering
- Implementation of InChI for chemically modified large biomolecules
- Toxicology in the Classroom II
- Making an imPACt
- Abbreviations of polymer names and guidelines for abbreviating polymer names (IUPAC Recommendations 2014)
- Toward a comprehensive definition of oxidation state (IUPAC Technical Report)
- Solubility of Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) in Neat Organic Solvents and Organic Solvent Mixtures
- IUPAC Empfehlungen
- Nomenclature and Graphic Representations for Chemically Modified Polymers
- Bookworm
- The Last Alchemist in Paris
- NOTeS
- On the Use of Italic and Roman Fonts for Symbols in Scientific Text*
- Conference Call
- Radiochemistry
- POLYCHAR 22
- Global Experiments Spark International Years: Sharing Best Practices
- Stamps International
- Nickel Mining in Paradise
- Where 2B & Y
- Theoretical and Computational Chemistry
- Data Sharing and Integration for Global Sustainability
- Environmental Horizon
- Mark Your Calendar
Articles in the same Issue
- Masthead - Full issue pdf
- From the Editor
- Contents
- Treasurer’s Column
- A Time for Renewal
- Dr. Lynn Soby appointed IUPAC Executive Director
- Features
- Synthesis at the Interface of Chemistry and Biology
- Chemistry for the Future Solvay Prize
- Multiple Uses of Chemicals
- IUPAC and OPCW Working Toward Responsible Science
- Chemical Weapons: The Human Toll
- Complementary OPCW Education and Outreach Resources
- IUPAC Wire
- IUPAC Elections for the 2016–2017 Term
- Winners of the 2014 IUPAC-SOLVAY International Award for Young Chemists
- Steven V. Ley wins 2014 IUPAC-ThalesNano Prize in Flow Chemistry
- The InChI Team presented with the 2014 Chemical Structure Association (CSA) Trust Mike Lynch Award
- Data Citation Principles
- 2015 Year of Soils and Year of Light
- The Project Place
- A critical review of the proposed definitions of fundamental chemical quantities and their impact on chemical communities
- On the definition of the mole
- Basic Terminology of Crystal Engineering
- Implementation of InChI for chemically modified large biomolecules
- Toxicology in the Classroom II
- Making an imPACt
- Abbreviations of polymer names and guidelines for abbreviating polymer names (IUPAC Recommendations 2014)
- Toward a comprehensive definition of oxidation state (IUPAC Technical Report)
- Solubility of Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) in Neat Organic Solvents and Organic Solvent Mixtures
- IUPAC Empfehlungen
- Nomenclature and Graphic Representations for Chemically Modified Polymers
- Bookworm
- The Last Alchemist in Paris
- NOTeS
- On the Use of Italic and Roman Fonts for Symbols in Scientific Text*
- Conference Call
- Radiochemistry
- POLYCHAR 22
- Global Experiments Spark International Years: Sharing Best Practices
- Stamps International
- Nickel Mining in Paradise
- Where 2B & Y
- Theoretical and Computational Chemistry
- Data Sharing and Integration for Global Sustainability
- Environmental Horizon
- Mark Your Calendar
