Potassium permanganate is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula KMnO4. It is a purplish-black crystalline salt that dissolves in water to form an intensely pink to purple solution. It is used as a strong oxidizing agent in the chemical industry and laboratories, as well as a medication for dermatitis, wound cleaning, and general disinfection. It is on the World Health Organization’s List of Essential Medicines. The purplish-black color of the solid and the pink to purple color of its solutions is caused by the permanganate anion.
Properties
Potassium permanganate is an inorganic chemical compound with the chemical formula KMnO4. It is a purplish-black crystalline salt that dissolves in water to form a pink to purple solution. It has strong oxidizing properties and is used as a medication for dermatitis, wound cleaning, and general disinfection. It has orthorhombic crystal structure and the purplish-black color of the solid and pink to purple color of its solutions is due to the permanganate anion. The color is caused by a strong charge-transfer absorption band produced by the excitation of electrons from oxo ligand orbitals to empty orbitals of the manganese(VII) center.
Uses
Potassium permanganate is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula KMnO4. It has multiple uses, including:
- Strong Oxidizing Agent: It is used as a strong oxidizing agent in the chemical industry and laboratories.
- Medical Treatment: It is used as a medication for dermatitis, cleaning wounds and general disinfection. It is on the World Health Organization’s List of Essential Medicines.
- Water Treatment: It is used in water treatment as a disinfectant, deodorant, and algaecide.
- Gold Mining: In gold mining, it is used to dissolve encrusted pyrites in cyanide leaching tanks.
- Other uses: It is also used in the production of manganese compounds, dyeing and printing textiles, and in the tanning of leather.
Safety
Potassium permanganate poses risks as an oxidizer. Contact with skin will result in a long lasting brown stain