Potassium Permanganate

POTASSIUM PERMANGANATE SPECIFICATION

POTASSIUM PERMANGANATE DESCRIPTION

Potassium Permanganate is a strong oxidizing agent that is commonly used in various applications, including water treatment, medical treatments, and laboratory experiments. Potassium Permanganate is a compound of potassium, manganese, and oxygen, with the chemical formula KMnO₄.

Chemical Properties

Potassium Permanganate is dark purple, metallic luster granular, needle-like crystal or quicksand. Dissolved in water, the solution was purple. It is a strong oxidizing agent. Sweet and astringent. Dust irritating.

Storage Characteristics

Potassium Permanganate should be stored in a cool, dry place, away from direct sunlight and heat sources. It should be stored in a tightly sealed container, away from flammable and combustible materials.

POTASSIUM PERMANGANATE APPLICATION

Medical Uses

Potassium Permanganate is used for a number of skin conditions. This includes fungal infections of the foot, impetigo, pemphigus, superficial wounds, dermatitis, and tropical ulcers. It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines.

Water Treatment

Potassium Permanganate is used extensively in the water treatment industry. It is used as a regeneration chemical to remove iron and hydrogen sulfide (rotten egg smell) from well water via a "manganese greensand" filter. "Pot-Perm" is also obtainable at pool supply stores and is used additionally to treat wastewater. Historically it was used to disinfect drinking water and can turn the water pink. It currently finds application in the control of nuisance organisms such as zebra mussels in fresh water collection and treatment systems.

Synthesis of Organic Compounds

A major application of Potassium Permanganate is as a reagent for the synthesis of organic compounds. Significant amounts are required for the synthesis of ascorbic acid, chloramphenicol, saccharin, isonicotinic acid, and pyrazinoic acid.

Potassium Permanganate is used in qualitative organic analysis to test for the presence of unsaturation. It is sometimes referred to as Baeyer's reagent after the German organic chemist Adolf von Baeyer . The reagent is an alkaline solution of potassium permanganate. Reaction with double or triple bonds (-C=C- or -C≡C-) causes the color to fade from purplish-pink to brown. Aldehydes and formic acid (and formates) also give a positive test. The test is antiquated.

Analytical Use

Potassium Permanganate can be used to quantitatively determine the total oxidizable organic material in an aqueous sample. The value determined is known as the permanganate value. In analytical chemistry, a standardized aqueous solution of Potassium Permanganate is sometimes used as an oxidizing titrant for redox titrations (permanganometry). As potassium permanganate is titrated, the solution becomes a light shade of purple, which darkens as excess of the titrant is added to the solution. In a related way, it is used as a reagent to determine the Kappa number of wood pulp. For the standardization of Potassium Permanganate solutions, reduction by oxalic acid is often used.

Aqueous, acidic solutions of Potassium Permanganate are used to collect gaseous mercury in flue gas during stationary source emissions testing. In histology, Potassium Permanganate was used as a bleaching agent.

Fruit Preservation

Ethylene absorbents extend storage time of bananas even at high temperatures. This effect can be exploited by packing bananas in polyethylene together with Potassium Permanganate. By removing ethylene by oxidation, the permanganate delays the ripening, increasing the fruit's shelf life up to 4 weeks without the need for refrigeration.