Manganese

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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