Application of Manganese

Manganese is a chemical element with the symbol Mn and atomic number 25. It is not found as a free element in nature; it is often found in minerals in combination with iron. Manganese is a transition metal with a multifaceted array of industrial alloy uses, particularly in stainless steels.

Source

Manganese is a mineral that is found in several foods including nuts, legumes, seeds, tea, whole grains, and leafy green vegetables. It is considered an essential nutrient, because the body requires it to function properly. People use manganese as medicine.

Historically, manganese is named for pyrolusite and other black minerals from the region of Magnesia in Greece, which also gave its name to magnesium and the iron ore magnetite.

Application

Manganese phosphating is used for rust and corrosion prevention on steel. Ionized manganese is used industrially as pigments of various colors, which depend on the oxidation state of the ions. The permanganates of alkali and alkaline earth metals are powerful oxidizers. Manganese dioxide is used as the cathode (electron acceptor) material in zinc-carbon and alkaline batteries.

In biology, manganese(II) ions function as cofactors for a large variety of enzymes with many functions. Manganese enzymes are particularly essential in detoxification of superoxide free radicals in organisms that must deal with elemental oxygen. Manganese also functions in the oxygen-evolving complex of photosynthetic plants. While the element is a required trace mineral for all known living organisms, it also acts as a neurotoxin in larger amounts. Especially through inhalation, it can cause manganism, a condition in mammals leading to neurological damage that is sometimes irreversible.

Manganese is taken by mouth for manganese deficiency. It is also used for weak and brittle bones (osteoporosis), osteoarthritis, and other conditions.

Manganese is given intravenously (by IV) for manganese deficiency and as a trace element in a nutrition preparation that is given by IV called total parenteral nutrition (TPN).

Manganese is applied to the skin for wound healing.

Effective for...

Manganese deficiency. Taking manganese by mouth or giving manganese intravenously (by IV) helps to treat or prevent low manganese levels in the body. Also, taking manganese by mouth along with other vitamins and minerals can promote growth in children who have low levels of manganese in developing countries.