Name       : Manganese
Symbol     : Mn
Atomic #   : 25
Atom weight: 54.9380
Melting P. : 1244
Boiling P. : 1962
Oxidation  : +2, +3, +4, +7
Pronounced : MAN-ge-nees
From       : Latin magnes, "magnet"
Identified : Carl Wilhelm Scheele in 1774
Appearance : Hard, brittle, gray-white metal
Note       : Manganese enhances the ability to form and hot-work steel,
             and it increases the resistance to impact. It is used to
             form steel alloys

[Properties]

  Manganese is the first of the Group-VB elements on the periodic table.
Pure manganese metal is hard and brittle; it looks and feels a lot like
iron. It is fairly reactive, behaving much like iron in this respect as
well. It even "rusts" like iron in moist air.
  There are four solid allotropes of manganese, alpha through beta. The
alpha and beta forms exist at temperatures below 1000 degrees and thus
represent the element as it is most commonly known. The beta state occurs
at temperatures between 700 and 1000 degrees, but can be retained at room
temperatures by extremely rapid cooling, or quenching.
  The gamma allotrope can exist for extended periods of time at
temperatures between 1000 degrees and 1100 degrees. However, it is also
produced at lower temperatures when manganese is subjected to electrolytic
operations. As soon as the electrolysis is stopped, the sample quickly
reverts to the gamma allotrope.
  The delta allotrope exists only at temperatures above 1100 degrees.