Periodic Table--Manganese

Manganese is part of the iron group of elements which are thought to be synthesized in large stars shortly before supernova explosion. Manganese-53 decays to ⁵³Cr with a half-life of 3.7 Myr. Because of its relatively short half-life, ⁵³Mn is an extinct radionuclide. Manganese isotopic contents are typically combined with chromium isotopic contents and have found application in isotope geology.

Mn-Cr isotopic ratios reinforce the evidence from ²⁶Al and ¹⁰⁷Pd for the early history of the solar system. Variations in ⁵³Cr/52Cr and Mn/Cr ratios from several meteorites indicate an initial ⁵³Mn/⁵⁵Mn ratio that suggests Mn-Cr isotopic systematics must result from in-situ decay of ⁵³Mn in differentiated planetary bodies (Birck and Allegre, 1985, 1988). Hence ⁵³Mn provides additional evidence for nucleosynthetic processes immediately before coalescence of the solar system.

Source of text: This review was assembled by Eric Caldwell, primarily from Dicken (1995).