Purpose:
Oxidation States of Manganese
To prepare solutions of manganese ions in different oxidation states.
Materials:
5 test tubes
~25 mL KMnO$_4$ solution
100 mL beaker
MnSO$_4$(s) (pinch)
4.0 M H$_2$SO$_4$ solution
2.0 M NaOH solution
pipette
0.1 M EDTA solution NaHSO$_3$ solution
10 ml graduated cylinder
Procedure:
1. Determine the oxidation number of Mn in each of the following compounds.
Compound
Oxidation # of Mn
Colour
Identifying Letter
KMnO$_4$
+7
Purple
E
K$_2$MnO$_4$
+6
Green
B
MnO$_2$
+4
Brown
A
MnSO$_4$
+2
Colourless
C
MnCl$_2$
+3
Violet Rose
D
2. Label 5 test tubes A, B, C, D and E. From your 100 mL beaker add 4 ml of the
KMnO$_4$ to each test tube.
3. Set test tube E aside - do not add anything. It represents Mn in the 7+ state.
4. Add 1.5 mL of the H$_2$SO$_4$ to test tube A and add 2.0 mL of NaOH to test tube B.
5. Slowly add the NaHSO$_3$ solution to each test tubes of A, B and C (be particularly
patient while adding to test tube B). Shake the test tube after each drop and
observe any changes. If no changes occur add another drop. Record these
observations.
6. To test tube D - add 5 ml of EDTA to one of the test tubes filled with KMnO$_4$.
Add a pinch of MnSO$_4$. Observe and record any changes.
7. Compare the colours observed and fill in the observation table.