Potassium Permanganate
- IUPAC Name
- potassium permanganate
- Molecular Formula
- KMnO4
- Molecular Weight (g/mol)
- 158.0300
- Synonyms & Trade Names
- Potassium permanganate; Potassium manganate(VII); Condy's crystals
- Purity / Assay (%)
- 99% min
- Grade / Quality Level
- Technical Grade
Categories
Technical Document
Brief Overview
Potassium permanganate is an inorganic crystalline solid. It is a strong oxidising agent with disinfectant, deodorising and astringent properties. It dissolves in water to give intensely pink or purple solutions.
Manufacturing Process
Potassium permanganate is produced industrially from manganese dioxide, which also occurs as the mineral pyrolusite. The MnO2 is fused with potassium hydroxide and heated in air or with another source of oxygen, like potassium nitrate or potassium chlorate. This process gives potassium manganate:
2 MnO2 + 4 KOH + O2 → 2 K2MnO4 + 2 H2O
Potassium manganate is then converted into permanganate by electrolytic oxidation in alkaline media:
2 K2MnO4 + 2 H2O → 2 KMnO4 + 2 KOH + H2
