MANGANESE

(Mn), chemical element, one of the silvery-white, hard, brittle metals of Group VIIb of the periodic table. It was recognized as an element (1774) by the Swedish chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele while working with the mineral pyrolusite and was isolated the same year by his associate, Johan Gottlieb Gahn. Although it is rarely used in pure form, manganese is essential to steelmaking. For detailed information on the extraction, refining, and applications of manganese, see Industries, Extraction and Processing.