Discovery Of KMnO4

Potassium Permanganate is an inorganic compound. The chemical formula of Potassium Permanganate is KMnO4 compound name. It is an odourless, purplish-black crystalline solid. It dissolves in water, forms ions K+ and MnO4-, and makes a pinkish solution. It is termed one of the most important compounds on earth. Potassium Permanganate is also known as ‘Condy’s Crystals.’It is also called chameleon material. Potassium Permanganate is widely used in chemical industries and laboratories as it is a very strong oxidising agent. It is also used for sterilisation and disinfecting. It is also used as a disinfectant to treat drinking water and wastewater. It can also be used to neutralise snake venom. In some parts of the world, it is still used on a small scale for disinfecting and also for cleaning fruits and vegetables.

Discovery of Potassium Permanganate:

Johann Rudolf Glauber, a German-Dutch alchemist in 1659, discovered Potassium permanganate. He mixed two minerals, pyrolusite, and potassium carbonate, being an alchemist. Pyrolusite is a mineral of manganese (MnO2), and potassium carbonate is K2CO3. When he mixed these two minerals, a substance was formed which could be dissolved in water and had a green colour for potassium manganate and gradually changed to violet. Finally, a red-coloured solution was obtained. This red-coloured formation was an indication of the formation of potassium permanganate.

In the 1800s, Henry Bollmann Condy, a British scientist, was very keen on studying and working on disinfectants. So, while studying, he discovered another method to create potassium permanganate. He mixed pyrolusite with sodium hydroxide, which is NaOH. When this was dissolved in water, it showed disinfectant properties. He also patented this solution and named it ‘Condy’s Fluid.’ However, this solution was effective but still was not stable.

As the solution was not getting stabled, he then added Potassium hydroxide instead of sodium hydroxide, and the solution then was more stable. This solution tends to convert into equally effective potassium permanganate crystals. He named them ‘Condy’s Crystal.’ As potassium permanganate was easy to manufacture, he was forced to spend a considerable amount of time stopping the competitors from marketing similar products.

History of using Potassium Permanganate in water treatment:

No single tool or treatment was able to suffice quality water, but potassium permanganate has the versatility required to produce clean water. It is immediately considered good water if the tap water is sparkling clear, doesn’t taste, or is odourless and will not stain proclaimed fixtures.

Previous to World War, potassium permanganate was imported from Europe, but when such imports were stopped, the commercial production of potassium permanganate was begun in the United States. In 1917, potassium permanganate was more than $4 lb; therefore, more than an academic interest observed its water treatment properties. Sir Alexander Houston of London introduced water treatment plants in 1913. Except for its use in regenerating manganese-treated greens and filters, it found very little water treatment application until 1948.

Applications of Potassium permanganate:

1. Medicinal Uses: Potassium permanganate has a really wide range of applications in the medical field. Most of the range of medicines can only be made with the help of these chemicals. So in the meanwhile, potassium permanganate can be used extensively for medical purposes as well. It is used along with antiseptic and fungicide. Apart from this, it is also used to treat diseases and fungal infections, skin infections like eczema, dermatitis, acne, and infections caused in the hands and legs.

2. Water treatment processes: Due to its high oxidising properties, potassium permanganate is one of the great chemicals used for water treatment. It expediently removes magnesium and iron from the water. The means to the process can be useful for the water sources which come from the deep ground sources. It also aids to eliminate the rusts reasoned in water equipment and pipes. The probability of cholera and other water-associated diseases might also be minimised by washing fruits, vegetables and cooking utensils using dilute potassium permanganate solution.

3. Organic and analytical chemistry: Potassium permanganate is a very important reagent in laboratories. Inorganic chemistry, potassium permanganate is exploited to synthesise and react with various organic elements. In analytical chemistry, potassium permanganate is aided to get the amount of compound that can be oxidised in a chemical sample. This amount is suitably referred to as the permanganate value.

Conclusion:

Potassium permanganate is a strong oxidising agent with some disinfectant properties. It has a KMnO4  compound name. Potassium permanganate is also known as “Condy’s crystals.”It was used extensively before hypochlorites as a drinking water disinfectant. The use of potassium permanganate is not new as far as water purification is concerned. Potassium permanganate is now being used by various cities scattered throughout the United States. Natural water purification from taste and odour using potassium permanganate (KMnO4) has been known from the beginning of the nineteenth century. It became popular in the 1960s. Natural water purification from taste and odour using potassium permanganate (KMnO4) has been known from the beginning of the nineteenth century.