Manganese

About Manganese:

• Manganese is the fifth-most abundant metal on earth that exists in the form of oxides, carbonates and silicates.
• It is present in food, water, soil, and rock as a naturally occurring component.
• Properties
  • It is too brittle to be of much use as a pure metal. It is mainly used in alloys, such as steel.
  • Its minerals are widely distributed, with pyrolusite (manganese dioxide) and rhodochrosite (manganese carbonate) being the most common.
  • Manganese somewhat resembles iron in general chemical activity.
  • The metal oxidizes superficially in air and rusts in moist air.
  • It burns in air or oxygen at elevated temperatures, decomposes water slowly when cold and rapidly on heating
• The metal is obtained by reducing the oxide with sodium, magnesium or aluminium, or by the electrolysis of manganese sulfate.
• Manganese ores are primarily produced by Australia, South Africa, China, Gabon, and Brazil.
• It is essential to plant growth and is involved in the assimilation of nitrates in green plants and algae.
• Biological role
  • It is an ‘essential trace element’ which plays a vital role in maintaining body homeostasis but can cause severe toxicity if consumed in excess.
  • Manganese is an essential element in all known living organisms. Many types of enzymes contain manganese. 

Q1: What are minerals?

These are naturally occurring homogeneous solid with a definite chemical composition and a highly ordered atomic arrangement; it is usually formed by inorganic processes. 

News: .Manganese in water is causing cancer in Bihar’s Gangetic plains: Study

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