25
Mn
Manganese
Atomic Mass 54.938044
Electron Configuration [Ar]4s23d5
Oxidation States +7, +4, +3, +2
Year Discovered 1774

Identifiers

Element Name Manganese
Element Symbol Mn
InChI InChI=1S/Mn
InChIKey PWHULOQIROXLJO-UHFFFAOYSA-N

Properties

Atomic Weight

54.938 043(2)

54.938044

54.94

54.938044(3)

Electron Configuration

[Ar]4s23d5

Atomic Radius

Van der Waals Atomic Radius : 197 pm (Van der Waals)

Empirical Atomic Radius : 140pm (Empirical)

Covalent Atomic Radius : 139(5)[l.s.], 161(8)[h.s.] pm (Covalent)

Oxidation States

+7, +4, +3, +2

7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, -1, -2, -3 ​acidic, basic or amphoteric; depending on the oxidation state

Ground Level

6S5/2

Ionization Energy

7.434 eV

7.4340380 ± 0.0000012 eV

Electronegativity

Pauling Scale Electronegativity : 1.55(Pauling Scale)

Allen Scale Electronegativity : 1.75(Allen Scale)

Electron Affinity

0eV

0.97eV

Atomic Spectra

Lines Holdings

Levels Holdings

Physical Description

Solid

Element Classification

Metal

Element Period Number

4

Element Group Number

7

Density

7.3 grams per cubic centimeter

Melting Point

1519 K (1246°C or 2275°F)

1246°C

Boiling Point

2334 K (2061°C or 3742°F)

2061°C

Estimated Crustal Abundance

9.50×102 milligrams per kilogram

Estimated Oceanic Abundance

2×10-4 milligrams per liter

History

The name derives from the Latin magnes for "magnet" since pyrolusite (MnO2) has magnetic properties. It was discovered by the Swedish pharmacist and chemist Carl-Wilhelm Scheele in 1774. In the same year, the Swedish chemist Johan Gottlieb Gahn first isolated the metal.

Proposed to be an element by Carl Wilhelm Scheele in 1774, manganese was discovered by Johan Gottlieb Gahn, a Swedish chemist, by heating the mineral pyrolusite (MnO2) in the presence of charcoal later that year. Today, most manganese is still obtained from pyrolusite, although it is usually burned in a furnace with powdered aluminum or is treated with sulfuric acid (H2SO4) to form manganese sulfate (MnSO4), which is then electrolyzed.

From the Latin word magnes, magnet, from magnetic properties of pyrolusite. Recognized by Carl Wilhelm Scheele, Torbern Olof Bergman, and others as an element and isolated by Gahn in 1774 by reduction of the dioxide with carbon.

Historical Atomic Weights

Year Atomic Weight (uncertainty) [u] Reference
2017 54.938 043(2) https://doi.org/10.1515/pac-2019-0603
2013 54.938 044(3) https://doi.org/10.1515/pac-2015-0305
2005 54.938 045(5) https://doi.org/10.1351/pac200678112051
1995 54.938 049(9) https://doi.org/10.1351/pac199668122339
1985 54.938 05(1) https://doi.org/10.1351/pac198658121677
1969 54.9380(1) https://doi.org/10.1351/pac197021010091
1961 54.9380 https://doi.org/10.1021/ja00881a001
1953 54.94 https://doi.org/10.1039/JR9540004713
1909 54.93 https://doi.org/10.1021/ja01931a001
1902 55.0 https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01370337

Historical Isotopic Abundances

Year Isotope Abundance (uncertainty) Reference
1975, 55Mn, 1, doi:10.1351/pac197647010075

Description

It is gray-white, resembling iron, but is harder and very brittle. The metal is reactive chemically and decomposes slowly in cold water. Manganese is used to form many important alloys. Manganese improves rolling and forging qualities in steel, along with adding strength, stiffness, wear resistance, hardness.

With aluminum and antimony, and especially with small amounts of copper, it forms highly ferromagnetic alloys.

Manganese metal is ferromagnetic only after special treatment. The pure metal exists in four allotropic forms. The alpha form is stable at ordinary temperature; gamma manganese, which changes to alpha at ordinary temperatures, is said to be flexible, soft, easily cut, and capable of being bent.

Users

Nearly 90% of all of the manganese produced each year is used in the production of steel. Manganese is added to molten steel to remove oxygen and sulfur and is alloyed with steel to make it easier to form and work with and to increase steel's strength and resistance to impact. Railroad tracks, for example, are made with steel that contains as much as 1.2% manganese. Manganese is also used to give glass an amethyst color and is responsible for the color of amethyst gemstones.

Manganese dioxide (MnO2), the most common compound of manganese, makes up about 0.14% of the Earth's crust. It is used in dry cell batteries to prevent the formation of hydrogen, to remove the green color in glass that is caused by the presence of iron contaminants, and as a drying agent in black paints.

The dioxide (pyrolusite) is used as a depolarizer in dry cells and is used to "decolorize" glass that is colored green by impurities of iron. Manganese by itself colors glass an amethyst color and is responsible for the color of true amethyst. The dioxide is also used in the preparation of oxygen and chlorine and in drying black paints. The permanganate is a powerful oxidizing agent and is used in quantitative analysis and in medicine.

Manganese is widely distributed throughout the animal kingdom. It is an important trace element and may be essential for utilization of vitamin B1.

Sources

Manganese minerals are widely distributed, with oxides, silicates, and carbonates being the most common. Large quantities of manganese nodules are found on the ocean floor and may become a source of manganese. These nodules contain about 24% manganese, together with many other elements in lesser abundance.

Most manganese today is obtained from ores found in Russia, Brazil, Australia, South Africa, Gabon, and India. Pyrolusite and rhodochrosite are among the most common manganese minerals. The metal is obtained by reduction of the oxide with sodium, magnesium, aluminum, or by electrolysis.

Compounds

See more information at the Manganese compound page.

Element Forms

CID Name Formula SMILES Molecular Weight
23930 manganese Mn [Mn] 54.93804
27854 manganese(2+) Mn+2 [Mn+2] 54.93804
105130 manganese(3+) Mn+3 [Mn+3] 54.93804
104743 manganese-54 Mn [54Mn] 53.94036
114694 manganese-56 Mn [56Mn] 55.938903
115131 manganese-52 Mn [52Mn] 51.945559
167227 manganese-53 Mn [53Mn] 52.941287
177439 manganese-51 Mn [51Mn] 50.948209
155926123 manganese-55 Mn [55Mn] 54.938043
10329240 manganese-57 Mn [57Mn] 56.93829
11665392 manganese-52(2+) Mn+2 [52Mn+2] 51.945559

Handling And Storage

Exposure to manganese dusts, fume, and compounds should not exceed the ceiling value of 5 mg/m3 for even short periods because of the element's toxicity level.

Isotopes

Stable Isotope Count 1

Isotopes in Earth/Planetary Science

Radioactive 54Mn (half-life of 312 days) has been used as a tracer to study migration of heavy metals in effluents (flowing out) from mining waste [109], [110].

[109] Australian Government, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (Ansto). [Radioisotopes]:/their Role in Society Today/, Australian Government, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (Ansto) (2014), Feb. 24; http://www.ansto.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0018/3564/Radioisotopes.pdf.
[110] AUS-e-TUTE for Astute Science Students. Chemistry Tutorial: Summary of Radioactive Particles, Isotopes, Properties and Uses, AUS-e-TUTE for Astute Science Students (2014), Feb. 24; http://www.ausetute.com.au/nuclesum.html.

Isotopes in Geochronology

The radioactive isotope 53Mn is formed by the interaction of protons, produced by cosmic rays, on iron in rocks. The accumulation of 53Mn, having a half-life of 3.7×106 years, at the Earth’s surface enables determination of exposure ages of landforms to cosmic rays and quantification of erosion rates. For example, Schaefer et al. [211] measured 13 samples from nine dolerite (igneous rock containing plagioclase, pyroxene, and olivine) surfaces in the Dry Valleys, Antarctica. They found that the terrestrial 53Mn concentrations correlate well with cosmic-ray-produced 3He and 21Ne concentrations in the same samples (Fig. IUPAC.25.1), which suggests that 53Mn is produced continuously in place and retained over millions of years without loss. Their results suggest that 53Mn concentrations in rocks can be used to monitor Earth-surface processes on time scales exceeding 10×106 years.

Fig. IUPAC.25.1: Cross plot of cosmic-ray produced radioactive ⁵³Mn and ³He from 13 igneous-rock samples collected from land surface at the Dry Valleys, Antarctica (modified from [211]). The correlation between ⁵³Mn and ³He indicates that ⁵³Mn is produced continuously in place and has been used to monitor Earth-surface processes.

[211] J. M. Schaefer, T. Faestermann, G. F. Herzog, K. Knie, G. Korschinek, J. Masarik, A. Meier, M. Poutivtsev, G. Rugel, C. Schlüchter, F. Serifiddin, G. Winckler. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett.251, 334 (2006).

Isotopes in Medicine

51Mn, 52Mn and 52mMn (with half-lives of 46 min, 5.6 days, and 21 min, respectively) are radioactive isotopes that emit positrons that are used in positron emission tomography (PET) imaging [212], [213]. The m in the superscript of 52mMn indicates a metastable state of the isotope.

[212] G. J. Topping, P. Schaffer, C. Hoehr, T. J. Ruth, V. Sossi. Med. Phys.40, 042502 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1118/1.4793756.
[213] C. W. Olanow, P. F. Good, H. Shinotoh, K. A. Hewitt, F. Vingerhoets, B. J. Snow, M. F. Beal, D. B. Calne, D. P. Perl. Neurology46, 492 (1996).

Isotope Mass and Abundance

Isotope Atomic Mass (uncertainty) [u] Abundance (uncertainty)
55Mn 54.938 043(2) 1
Isotope Atomic Mass (uncertainty) [u] Abundance (uncertainty)
55Mn 54.93804391(48) 1

Atomic Mass, Half Life, and Decay

Nuclide Atomic Mass and Uncertainty [u] Half Life and Uncertainty Discovery Year Decay Modes, Intensities and Uncertainties [%]
43Mn 43.018647 ± 0.000429 [Estimated] Not-specified p ?
44Mn 44.008009 ± 0.000322 [Estimated] Not-specified <105ns p ?
45Mn 44.994654 ± 0.000322 [Estimated] Not-specified <70ns p ?
46Mn 45.986669000 ± 0.000093 36.2 ms ± 0.4 1987 β+=100%; β+p=57.0±0.8%; β+2p≈18%; β+α ?
46Mnm 45.986669000 ± 0.000093 1 ms [Estimated] β+ ?
47Mn 46.975774000 ± 0.000034 88.0 ms ± 1.3 1987 β+=100%; β+p<1.7%
48Mn 47.968548760 ± 0.000007191 158.1 ms ± 2.2 1987 β+=100%; β+p=0.28±0.4%; β+α=6e-4%
49Mn 48.959613350 ± 0.000002377 382 ms ± 7 1970 β+=100%
50Mn 49.954238157 ± 0.000000123 283.21 ms ± 0.07 1952 β+=100%
50Mnm 49.954238157 ± 0.000000123 1.75 m ± 0.03 1962 β+=100%
51Mn 50.948208770 ± 0.000000326 45.81 m ± 0.21 1938 β+=100%
52Mn 51.945559090 ± 0.000000138 5.591 d ± 0.003 1938 β+=100%
52Mnm 51.945559090 ± 0.000000138 21.1 m ± 0.2 1937 β+=98.22±0.5%; IT=1.78±0.5%
53Mn 52.941287497 ± 0.000000371 3.7 My ± 0.4 1955 ε=100%
54Mn 53.940355772 ± 0.00000108 312.081 d ± 0.032 1938 ε=100%; β-=0.93e-4%; e+=1.28e-7±2.5%
55Mn 54.938043040 ± 0.000000279 Stable 1923 IS=100%
56Mn 55.938902816 ± 0.000000314 2.5789 h ± 0.0001 1934 β-=100%
57Mn 56.938285944 ± 0.000001615 85.4 s ± 1.8 1954 β-=100%
58Mn 57.940066643 ± 0.0000029 3.0 s ± 0.1 1961 β-=100%
58Mnm 57.940066643 ± 0.0000029 65.4 s ± 0.5 1961 β-≈100%; IT ?
59Mn 58.940391111 ± 0.0000025 4.59 s ± 0.05 1976 β-=100%
60Mn 59.943136574 ± 0.0000025 280 ms ± 20 1978 β-=100%
60Mnm 59.943136574 ± 0.0000025 1.77 s ± 0.02 1978 β-=88.5±0.8%; IT=11.5±0.8%
61Mn 60.944452541 ± 0.0000025 709 ms ± 8 1980 β-=100%; β-n ?
62Mn 61.947907384 ± 0.000007023 92 ms ± 13 1983 β-=100%; β-n ?
62Mnm 61.947907384 ± 0.000007023 671 ms ± 5 1983 β-=100%; β-n ?; IT ?
63Mn 62.949664672 ± 0.000004 275 ms ± 4 1985 β-=100%; β-n= ?
64Mn 63.953849369 ± 0.0000038 88.8 ms ± 2.4 1985 β-=100%; β-n=2.7±0.6%
64Mnm 63.953849369 ± 0.0000038 439 us ± 31 1998 IT=100%
65Mn 64.956019749 ± 0.000004 91.9 ms ± 0.7 1985 β-=100%; β-n=7.9±1.2%
66Mn 65.960546833 ± 0.000012 63.8 ms ± 0.9 1992 β-=100%; β-n=7.4±1.4%; β-2n ?
66Mnm 65.960546833 ± 0.000012 780 us ± 40 2005 IT≈100%; β- ?
67Mn 66.963950 ± 0.000215 [Estimated] 46.7 ms ± 2.3 1997 β-=100%; β-n=10±0.5%; β-2n ?
68Mn 67.968953 ± 0.000322 [Estimated] 33.7 ms ± 1.5 1995 β-=100%; β-n=18±1%; β-2n ?
69Mn 68.972775 ± 0.000429 [Estimated] 22.1 ms ± 1.6 1995 β-=100%; β-n=40±2%; β-2n ?
70Mn 69.978046 ± 0.000537 [Estimated] 19.9 ms ± 1.7 2009 β-=100%; β-n ?; β-2n ?
71Mn 70.982158 ± 0.000537 [Estimated] 16 ms >400ns [Estimated] 2010 β- ?; β-n ?; β-2n ?
72Mn 71.988009 ± 0.000644 [Estimated] 12 ms >620ns [Estimated] 2013 β- ?; β-n ?; β-2n ?
73Mn 72.992807 ± 0.000644 [Estimated] 12 ms >410ns [Estimated] 2017 β- ?

Information Sources

  1. 1.  PubChem
  2. 2.  Atomic Mass Data Center (AMDC), International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
  3. 3.  IUPAC Commission on Isotopic Abundances and Atomic Weights (CIAAW)
  4. 4.  Jefferson Lab, U.S. Department of Energy
    LICENSE
    Please see citation and linking information https https://www.jlab.org/privacy-and-security-notice
  5. 5.  Los Alamos National Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy
  6. 6.  NIST Physical Measurement Laboratory
  7. 7.  IUPAC Periodic Table of the Elements and Isotopes (IPTEI)
    LICENSE
    Copyright (c) 2020 International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry. The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) contribution within Pubchem is provided under a CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license, unless otherwise stated.
    https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
  8. 8.  PubChem Elements
    Manganese

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