Nickel (Ni)

Element 28 · transition metal · group 10, period 4

Electron shells, 2 + 8 + 16 + 2. The outer shell is highlighted - it is the only one that takes part in bonding.

Nickel is element 28, a transition metal in group 10 and period 4. Its electron configuration is [Ar] 3d8 4s2. The shells fill 2, 8, 16, 2. Courses differ here. Counting only the outer s subshell gives 2; counting the inner d subshell with it gives 10, which is the group number. It commonly forms ions with a charge of +2.

28 protons
2/10 valence e−
+2
d-block

Properties

Atomic number	28
Symbol	Ni
Standard atomic weight	58.693 u
Group	10
Period	4
Block	d-block
Category	transition metal
Electron configuration	1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 3d⁸ 4s²
Noble-gas notation	[Ar] 3d⁸ 4s²
Electrons per shell	2, 8, 16, 2
Valence electrons	2 or 10
Common ionic charge	+2
Electronegativity (Pauling)	1.91
Protons / electrons	28 / 28

Electron configuration of nickel

Orbitals fill from the lowest energy upward. Writing that out for nickel gives 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 3d⁸ 4s², which is 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d8 4s2 in plain text.

Everything up to Ar is the same as in that noble gas, so it is usually abbreviated to [Ar] 3d⁸ 4s². The part outside the bracket is what does the chemistry.

Subshell	Electrons	Capacity
1s	2	2
2s	2	2
2p	6	6
3s	2	2
3p	6	6
3d	8	10
4s	2	2

Nickel ion charge

Nickel commonly forms ions with a charge of +2.

Common questions

How many valence electrons does nickel have?

There is no single agreed answer for nickel. Courses differ here. Counting only the outer s subshell gives 2; counting the inner d subshell with it gives 10, which is the group number. Check which convention your course uses before answering.

What is the electron configuration of nickel?

1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d8 4s2, or [Ar] 3d8 4s2 written from the previous noble gas. Orbitals fill lowest energy first.

What is the charge of nickel?

Nickel commonly forms ions with a charge of +2. Transition metals have several accessible oxidation states, which is why more than one charge is listed.

How many protons, electrons and neutrons does nickel have?

A neutral nickel atom has 28 protons and 28 electrons. Its standard atomic weight is 58.693, so the most common isotope has about 31 neutrons.

See the ionic charge of every element →

How this page was produced. The configuration was built by filling orbitals in energy order from atomic number 28 alone, not looked up. The shell counts, the valence count and the charge all follow from it. Nothing on this page is written per element.