One of the most important uses of manganese is in the manufacture of glass. This was mentioned in the first century AD by Pliny the Elder, a Roman author, who described how a black powder (which is manganese dioxide) was used to manufacture colourless glass. The existence of manganese as a separate element was first recognised in 1740 when Johann Heinrich Pott, a German chemist, stated that pyrolusite (manganese dioxide) contained a new earth metal. Until this discovery, pyrolusite was believed to be a compound of iron. To prove his point, Pott prepared potassium manganate by fusing caustic potash (potassium hydroxide) with pyrolusite in air.
Ignatius Gottfried Kaim, an Austrian chemist, was the first to isolate manganese in 1770. But his sample was not pure, and several attempts at isolating the pure metal failed. Later, Johan Gottlieb Gahn, a Swedish chemist, almost produced pure manganese in 1774 when he produced a white, hard, brittle metal. But Gahn’s manganese was also impure.
The physical properties of manganese include being very hard and brittle. Manganese is one of the most common elements found in the Earth’s crust. One can find it across the planet’s surface. It is also vital to human and animal life as it supports various metabolic functions.
Alloys of manganese are used in steel production and glass-making.
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