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Potassium Permanganate: Pyrolusite Fused with Caustic Potash, Turned Purple by Carbonic Acid
Glauber fused pyrolusite with potash in 1659 and watched the solution turn from green to violet to red: the chemical chameleon. Fuse the ore with caustic potash and saltpetre to green potassium manganate, then bubble carbonic acid through its solution to make purple permanganate. It is a strong oxidiser: keep it away from paper, wood and oil.
The picture: potassium permanganate crystals.
Advanced
Two days
Instructions
1
1
Grind and weigh
Grind and weigh
Grind the pyrolusite fine and sift it. Weigh out caustic potash and saltpetre for it (step 6).
Materials for this step:
Pyrolusite Ore (manganese dioxide)100 g
Potassium Hydroxide130 gTools needed:
Potassium Nitrate (saltpeter)
Mortar and Pestle
Fine Mesh Sieve
Balance Scale
Chemical Splash Goggles
Rubber Gloves2
2
Fuse
Fuse
Melt the caustic potash in an iron crucible in the furnace and stir in the ore and saltpetre a little at a time with an iron rod. Keep it hot, stirring, until the mass is dark green. Lift it out and let it cool.
Tools needed:
Iron Crucible
Charcoal Furnace
Charcoal
Iron Rod
Crucible Tongs
Welding GlovesChemical Splash Goggles3
3
Dissolve the green salt
Dissolve the green salt
Break up the cold melt and dissolve it in water. The solution is green.
Materials for this step:
Distilled Water1 literTools needed:
Borosilicate Beaker
Glass Stirring RodChemical Splash GogglesRubber Gloves4
4
Turn it purple
Turn it purple
Bubble carbon dioxide through the solution from a glass tube until it turns deep purple and brown manganese dioxide settles out.
Tools needed:
Carbon Dioxide Gas
Glass Tubing KitBorosilicate BeakerChemical Splash GogglesRubber Gloves5
5
Crystallise
Crystallise
Let the brown sludge settle and pour the clear purple liquid off it; do not filter through paper, which it attacks. Evaporate on the sand bath until crystals form on cooling. Drain the dark purple needles and keep them in a closed glass jar.
Tools needed:
Evaporating Dish
Sand Bath
Glass JarChemical Splash GogglesRubber Gloves6
6
Charge and yield
Charge and yield
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Materials
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- 130 gPlaceholder
- 1 literPlaceholder
Tools Required
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