Potassium Permanganate

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Potassium permanganate is the inorganic chemical compound with the formula KMnO4. It is a salt consisting of K+ and MnO4- ions. Formerly known as permanganate of potash or Condy''s crystals, it is a strong oxidizing agent. It dissolves in water to give intense purple solutions, the evaporation of which gives prismatic purplish-black glistening crystals. In 2000, worldwide production was estimated at 30 000 tonnes. In this compound, manganese is in the +7 oxidation state. Potassium permanganate is manufactured on a large scale from manganese dioxide. The mineral pyrolusite is fused with potassium hydroxide and heated in air or with potassium nitrate (a source of oxygen). This process gives potassium manganate, which upon electrolytic oxidation in alkaline solution gives potassium permanganate.