Potassium Permanganate
In West Bengal

Potassium Permanganate (KMnO4) is a chemical compound of manganese, potassium and oxygen. The salt is also known as "permanganate of potash" and "Condy's crystals". In this salt, manganese is in the +7 oxidation state. The permanganate ion is a strong oxidizing agent. It dissolves in water to give deep purple solution, evaporation of which gives prismatic purple-black glistening crystals. It has a sweet taste and is odourless.

In 1659, German chemist J.R. Glauber, fused a mixture of the mineral pyrolusite and potassium carbonate to obtain a material that, when dissolved in water, gave a green solution potassium manganate (K2MnO4) which slowly changed colour to violet to form potassium permanganate and then finally red. This report has gone down in history as the first description of the production of potassium permanganate.

Applications
Water treatment for disinfection, odour control and maintaining B.O.D. levels
Pickling agent in steel industry for descaling and degreasing
Fumigation of Poultry farms, hatcheries and hospitals
Air purification for odour control and increased oxygen levels
Non-ferrous, metal and metal salts industry for removal of ferrous impurities
Oxidizing and removal of ferrous impurities from inorganic chemicals
Pharmaceutical intermediate manufacture
Organic intermediates and chemicals manufacture
Repacking industry for various institutional, medicinal and household uses
Disease control and disinfection in aquaculture and mushroom culture
Pre-treatment of wood and wooden furniture
Glass industry for coloring and removal of impurities
Welding electrode industry for manufacture of fluxes
Textile processing for bleaching and stain removal
Soil remediation
Forward integration to Sodium Permanganate
Aquaculture / fish culture
Sodium Saccharine