A Brief History Of The Discovery Of Manganese Metal

The earliest use of manganese can be traced back to the Stone Age. As early as 17000 years ago, manganese oxide (pyrolusite) was used as a pigment in cave murals by people in the late Paleolithic. Later, manganese was also found in weapons used by Spartans in ancient Greece. The ancient Egyptians and Romans used manganese ore to decolorize or dye glass.
Although pyrolusite was used by people for a long time, it was not until the 1870s that Western chemists still believed that pyrolusite was a mineral containing tin, zinc, and cobalt. In the late 18th century, Swedish chemist T.O. Bergman studied pyrolusite and believed it to be a new metal oxide. He attempted to separate this metal, but was unsuccessful. Swedish chemist Scheler also did not extract metal from pyrolusite, so he turned to his friend and Bergman's assistant - Gann. In 1774, Gann used Scheler purified soft manganese ore powder and charcoal to heat in a crucible for one hour to obtain button shaped metal manganese blocks, which Bergman named Manganese.