manganese

[ mang-guh-nees, -neez ]

noun

, Chemistry.

1. a hard, brittle, grayish-white, metallic element, an oxide of which, MnO 2 manganese dioxide, is a valuable oxidizing agent: used chiefly as an alloying agent in steel to give it toughness. : Mn; : 54.938; : 25; : 7.2 at 20°C.

manganese

/ ˈmæŋɡəˌniːz /

noun

1. a brittle greyish-white metallic element that exists in four allotropic forms, occurring principally in pyrolusite and rhodonite: used in making steel and ferromagnetic alloys. Symbol: Mn; atomic no: 25; atomic wt: 54.93805; valency: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, or 7; relative density: 7.21–7.44; melting pt: 1246±3°C; boiling pt: 2062°C

manganese

/ măng′gə-nēz′ /

1. A grayish-white, hard, brittle metallic element that occurs in several different minerals and in nodules on the ocean floor. It is used to increase the hardness and strength of steel and other important alloys. Atomic number 25; atomic weight 54.9380; melting point 1,244°C; boiling point 1,962°C; specific gravity 7.21 to 7.44; valence 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7.
2. See Periodic Table

Word History and Origins

Origin of manganese¹

1670–80; < French manganèse < Italian manganese, alteration of Medieval Latin magnesia magnesia

Word History and Origins

Origin of manganese¹

C17: via French from Italian manganese, probably altered form of Medieval Latin magnesia

Example Sentences

At that time, Watts was served by two groundwater wells with elevated levels of naturally occurring iron and manganese.

From Los Angeles Times

Polymetallic nodules contain cobalt, nickel, manganese, and copper — metals with a range of industrial applications, most notably in steelmaking, that had played a material role in the economic growth of the U.S. and for which new mines were then desperately sought worldwide.

From Salon

Researchers found sodium, potassium, lithium, nickel, manganese, chromium, magnesium, vanadium, barium, calcium, and iron.

From Space Scoop

Countries including China, Russia and India are vying to reach the huge deposits of mineral resources - cobalt, nickel, copper, manganese - that lie thousands of metres below the surface of oceans.

From BBC

China - which has honed processing technologies and expertise over decades - currently controls 100% of the refined supply of natural graphite and dysprosium, 70% of cobalt and almost 60% of all processed lithium and manganese, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency.

From BBC