Manganese dioxide
Manganese oxide is the inorganic compound with the formula. This blackish or brown solid occurs naturally as the mineral pyrolusite, which is the main ore of manganese and a component of manganese nodules. The principal use for is for dry-cell batteries, such as the alkaline battery and the zinc-carbon battery. is also used as a pigment and as a precursor to other manganese compounds, such as. It is used as a reagent in organic synthesis, for example, for the oxidation of allylic alcohols. in the α polymorph can incorporate a variety of atoms in the "tunnels" or "channels" between the manganese oxide octahedra. There is considerable interest in as a possible cathode for lithium ion batteries.
Structure
Several polymorphs of are claimed, as well as a hydrated form. Like many other dioxides, crystallizes in the rutile crystal structure, with three-coordinate oxide and octahedral metal centres. is characteristically nonstoichiometric, being deficient in oxygen. The complicated solid-state chemistry of this material is relevant to the lore of "freshly prepared" in organic synthesis. The α-polymorph of has a very open structure with "channels" which can accommodate metal atoms such as silver or barium. is often called hollandite, after a closely related mineral.Production
Naturally occurring manganese dioxide contains impurities and a considerable amount of manganese oxide. Only a limited number of deposits contain the γ modification in purity sufficient for the battery industry.Production of batteries and ferrite requires high purity manganese dioxide. Batteries require "electrolytic manganese dioxide" while ferrites require "chemical manganese dioxide".
Chemical manganese dioxide
One method starts with natural manganese dioxide and converts it using dinitrogen tetroxide and water to a manganese nitrate solution. Evaporation of the water leaves the crystalline nitrate salt. At temperatures of 400 °C, the salt decomposes, releasing and leaving a residue of purified manganese dioxide. These two steps can be summarized as:In another process manganese dioxide is carbothermically reduced to manganese oxide which is dissolved in sulfuric acid. The filtered solution is treated with ammonium carbonate to precipitate. The carbonate is calcined in air to give a mixture of manganese and manganese oxides. To complete the process, a suspension of this material in sulfuric acid is treated with sodium chlorate. Chloric acid, which forms in situ, converts any Mn and Mn oxides to the dioxide, releasing chlorine as a by-product.
A third process involves manganese heptoxide and manganese monoxide. The two reagents combine with a 1:3 ratio to form manganese dioxide:
Lastly, the action of potassium permanganate over manganese sulfate crystals produces the desired oxide.
Electrolytic manganese dioxide
Electrolytic manganese dioxide is used in zinc–carbon batteries together with zinc chloride and ammonium chloride. EMD is commonly used in zinc manganese dioxide rechargeable alkaline cells also. For these applications, purity is extremely important. EMD is produced in a similar fashion as electrolytic tough pitch copper: The manganese dioxide is dissolved in sulfuric acid and subjected to a current between two electrodes. The MnO2 dissolves, enters solution as the sulfate, and is deposited on the anode.Reactions
The important reactions of are associated with its redox, both oxidation and reduction.Reduction
is the principal precursor to ferromanganese and related alloys, which are widely used in the steel industry. The conversions involve carbothermal reduction using coke:The key reactions of in batteries is the one-electron reduction:
catalyses several reactions that form. In a classical laboratory demonstration, heating a mixture of potassium chlorate and manganese dioxide produces oxygen gas. Manganese dioxide also catalyses the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide to oxygen and water:
Manganese dioxide decomposes above about 530 °C to manganese oxide and oxygen. At temperatures close to 1000 °C, the mixed-valence compound forms. Higher temperatures give MnO.
Hot concentrated sulfuric acid reduces the to manganese sulfate:
The reaction of hydrogen chloride with was used by Carl Wilhelm Scheele in the original isolation of chlorine gas in 1774:
As a source of hydrogen chloride, Scheele treated sodium chloride with concentrated sulfuric acid.
The standard electrode potentials for the half reactions indicate that the reaction is endothermic at pH = 0, but it is favoured by the lower pH as well as the evolution of gaseous chlorine.
This reaction is also a convenient way to remove the manganese dioxide precipitate from the ground glass joints after running a reaction.
Oxidation
Heating a mixture of KOH and in air gives green potassium manganate:Potassium manganate is the precursor to potassium permanganate, a common oxidant.
Applications
The predominant application of is as a component of dry cell batteries: alkaline batteries and so called Leclanché cell, or zinc–carbon batteries. Approximately 500,000 tonnes are consumed for this application annually. Other industrial applications include the use of as an inorganic pigment in ceramics and in glassmaking.Organic synthesis
A specialized use of manganese dioxide is as oxidant in organic synthesis. The effectiveness of the reagent depends on the method of preparation, a problem that is typical for other heterogeneous reagents where surface area, among other variables, is a significant factor. The mineral pyrolusite makes a poor reagent. Usually, however, the reagent is generated in situ by treatment of an aqueous solution with a Mn salt, typically the sulfate. oxidizes allylic alcohols to the corresponding aldehydes or ketones:The configuration of the double bond is conserved in the reaction. The corresponding acetylenic alcohols are also suitable substrates, although the resulting propargylic aldehydes can be quite reactive. Benzylic and even unactivated alcohols are also good substrates. 1,2-Diols are cleaved by to dialdehydes or diketones. Otherwise, the applications of are numerous, being applicable to many kinds of reactions including amine oxidation, aromatization, oxidative coupling, and thiol oxidation.