Chemical Formula: MnCO3
Grades: Technical and Agricultural.
Packaging: Material is available in 25 kilo, 1000 kilo and 1,200 kilo nett bags.
Availability: Normally a stock item.
Material: Manganese carbonate is a chemical compound that occurs naturally as the mineral rhodochrosite. Pale pink in appearance, it gradually becomes a light brown when exposed to air. Insoluble in water, manganese carbonate is sparingly soluble (a lower solubility) in warmer acids and saturated K2CO3.
On an industrial scale, manganese carbonate is produced by precipitating manganese sulphate with alkali-metal carbonates or hydrogen carbonates. The latter is frequently used as the precipitating agent when producers wish to avoid the presence of any alkali-metal ions in the final product. Once the manganese carbonate has been precipitated, the material is filtered and dried.
To convert manganese carbonate into another manganese compound, it is generally heated.
Should you treat manganese carbonate with dilute acids, carbon dioxide will be produced along with water and a manganese salt.
Uses of Manganese Carbonate
Manganese Carbonate In Ceramics
One of the predominant uses of manganese carbonate is in the production of ceramics. Here, it is either used as a weaker glaze colourant or as a ceramic flux. When painted onto an unfired glaze or mixed into a leadless glaze, the resulting colour tends to be brown. However, if manganese carbonate is added to an alkaline glaze, it will give a blue-purple colour. Alkaline glazes are a popular low-fire choice as they do not contain lead.
Manganese carbonate is a relatively powerful ceramic flux. Fluxes are used to lower the high melting point of the other glass elements, such as silica or alumina. As these elements begin to melt, they form the glassy surface which acts as the basis of the glaze. Manganese carbonate is one of several chemical compounds that can be added to the raw glaze to achieve this effect.
Manganese Carbonates In Crop Treatment
Crops that suffer from a manganese deficiency can be identified by their yellow leaves. The process begins when the interveinal space starts to lighten whilst the leaf veins themselves remain green. Whilst these symptoms are incredibly similar to those of magnesium deficiency, it is the younger leaves towards the top of the plant that are first affected when manganese is lacking, not the older ones at the bottom. Manganese carbonate can be added to plant fertilisers as an additive in order to cure and prevent manganese deficiency.
Additional Uses Of Manganese Carbonates
Manganese carbonate can be a key ingredient in the production of manganese nitrate, manganese phosphate and ferrites.
In medicine manganese carbonate is often used as a hematinic. A lack of hematinic can result in anemia so manganese carbonate is used as a medical supplement to boost the level of hemoglobin in red blood cells.
Manganese carbonate can be found in both health foods and animal feed, where it is used to prevent manganese deficiency.
Some dry cell lithium-ion batteries include manganese carbonate as an anode material, due to its high capacity.