manganese

Manganese is a chemical element; it has the symbol Mn and atomic number 25. It is a hard, brittle, silvery metal, often found in minerals in combination with iron. First isolated in the 1770s, manganese is a transition metal with many industrial alloy uses, particularly in stainless steels in which it improves strength, workability, and resistance to wear. Various manganese oxides are used as oxidising agents, as rubber additives, and in glass making, fertilizers, and ceramics. Manganese sulfate can be used as a fungicide.