Manganese
Real Metals · Common · Modern
An essential but largely invisible component of modern steelmaking. Manganese removes sulfur and oxygen impurities from molten steel, and small additions dramatically improve hardness, toughness, and wear resistance. Nearly every steel produced today contains manganese.
Identity
- Symbol
- Mn
- Atomic number
- 25
- Source
- Natural element
- Used in
- Duralumin
- Aliases
- Mn
Physical Properties
- Appearance
- Silvery-grey, hard and brittle, similar to iron but slightly lighter in colour
- Luster
- Metallic
- Density
- 7.43 g/cm³
- Melting point
- 1246 °C
- Boiling point
- 2061 °C
- Lighter
- Tin
- Denser
- Cold Iron
- Magnetism
- Non-magnetic
- Electrical conductivity
- Low
Mechanical Properties
- Mohs hardness
- 6
- Tensile strength
- 490 MPa
- Softer
- Steel
- Harder
- Damascus Steel
- Workability
- Difficult
- Brittleness
- Brittle
- Malleability
- Low
- Ductility
- Low
Chemical Properties
- Corrosion resistance
- low
- Reactivity
- moderate
Lore & Narrative
Manganese dioxide was used by Neanderthals to produce black pigment for cave paintings over 50,000 years ago, making it one of the first elements consciously exploited by hominids. Its metallic form was only isolated in 1774 by Swedish chemist Johan Gottlieb Gahn.
- Notable uses
- Steel alloys, batteries, pigments, aluminium alloys
- Forge uses
- steel alloys, batteries, pigments
- Worldbuilding traits
- steelmaking, industrial, invisible, essential
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