Manganese

Real Metals · Common · Modern

Steel does not work without it. Manganese scavenges the sulphur and oxygen out of the melt, and nearly every steel made today carries some. At 13% you get Hadfield steel, which hardens the more it is struck: it went into prison bars, rock crusher jaws and railway crossings, and a chisel taken to it only makes it tougher.

Identity

Symbol
Mn
Atomic number
25
Source
Natural element
Used in
Duralumin
Also known as
Mn
Ores, before industry and since
Pyrolusite
Ores of the industrial age
Braunite, Manganite, Psilomelane, Rhodochrosite
Ore deposits
Hydrothermal vein (lode), Lateritic deposit, Oxidized zone (gossan)
Used in alchemy
Manganese Powder

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

Sources

Browse the Metal Encyclopedia — MGS Toolbox