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Manganese
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<p>Manganese is a <a href="/facts/Chemical_element/0jducgWD">chemical element</a>; it has <a href="/facts/Symbol_(chemistry)/2Fe1VAL0">symbol</a> Mn and <a href="/facts/Atomic_number/bgAr581S">atomic number</a> 25. It is a hard, brittle, silvery metal, often found in <a href="/facts/Mineral/LkUFbNmv">minerals</a> in combination with <a href="/facts/Iron/QK1JYy8E">iron</a>. Manganese was first isolated in the 1770s. It is a <a href="/facts/Transition_metal/0slGWoLQ">transition metal</a> with a multifaceted array of industrial <a href="/facts/Alloy/I7w7WQWR">alloy</a> uses, particularly in <a href="/facts/Stainless_steel/IDdo8bEx">stainless steels</a>. It improves strength, workability, and resistance to wear. Manganese oxide is used as an oxidising agent, as a rubber additive, and in glass making, fertilisers, and ceramics. Manganese sulfate can be used as a fungicide. </p><p>Manganese is also an essential human <a href="/facts/Dietary_element/ACv8EG7f">dietary element</a>, important in <a href="/facts/Macronutrient/34bn4skK">macronutrient</a> metabolism, bone formation, and <a href="/facts/Free_radical/qFymuVoT">free radical</a> defense systems. It is a critical component in dozens of <a href="/facts/Protein/Jxmagu3E">proteins</a> and <a href="/facts/Enzyme/DSI1Fh7y">enzymes</a>. It is found mostly in the bones, but also the liver, kidneys, and brain. In the human brain, the manganese is bound to manganese <a href="/facts/Metalloprotein/c0cXhyG4">metalloproteins</a>, most notably <a href="/facts/Glutamine_synthetase/4F28uxzR">glutamine synthetase</a> in <a href="/facts/Astrocyte/PBUuHKzS">astrocytes</a>. </p><p>It is familiar in the laboratory in the form of the deep violet salt <a href="/facts/Potassium_permanganate/nyjjuDlo">potassium permanganate</a>. It occurs at the <a href="/facts/Active_site/u9ua7rGu">active sites</a> in some <a href="/facts/Enzymes/DSI1Fh7y">enzymes</a>. Of particular interest is the use of a Mn-O <a href="/facts/Atom_cluster/EsuLgxJU">cluster</a>, the <a href="/facts/Oxygen-evolving_complex/hGsK7zg9">oxygen-evolving complex</a>, in the production of oxygen by plants. </p>