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Manganese

13-12-2024

10:30 AM

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1 min read
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Overview:

Recently, a team of scientists has claimed that Manganese (Mn) contamination of water is causing cancer in the Gangetic plains of Bihar.

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