NurdRage - 2023-10-07
In this video, we explore the preparation of potassium permanganate, a valuable oxidant with a striking purple color. Starting with 43g of manganese dioxide, often obtained from greensand filter media, and 25g of potassium chlorate, the chemicals are thoroughly mixed. A can made of iron is chosen as the reaction vessel due to its resistance to the highly corrosive mixture. All reagents are mixed long with 40mL of water and 60g of potassium hydroxide. The can is placed in a furnace and heated to 400 degrees Celsius for several hours. This step involves the oxidation of manganese dioxide to potassium manganate by potassium chlorate, with potassium hydroxide providing essential potassium ions and alkaline conditions. Once cooled and soaked in water, the solid chunks of potassium manganate are retrieved. To convert potassium manganate into potassium permanganate, chlorine gas is used. A chlorine generator comprising 45g of trichloroisocyanuric acid in 100mL water and 75mL of 30% hydrochloric acid is employed to produce chlorine gas, which is then introduced into the potassium manganate flask. The reaction results in potassium permanganate with potassium chloride as a byproduct. Once the reaction is complete, the mixture is vacuum-filtered and then chilled to separate potassium permanganate from potassium chloride and hypochlorite. The potassium permanganate crystals are beautiful black needles. The final yield is approximately 30.7g or 39%, adjusted to 52% considering the purity of the manganese dioxide used. Both crystallizations of potassium permanganate are found to be 99% pure with a 1% margin of error, confirmed through titration. Donate to NurdRage! Through Patreon (preferred): https://www.patreon.com/NurdRage Through Youtube Memberships: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIgKGGJkt1MrNmhq3vRibYA/join Twitter: https://twitter.com/NurdRage Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/NurdRage/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nurdrageyoutube/
Nurdrage is the O.G of chemistry youtube for me been watching his videos from the beginning and i hope he never stops making such beautiful content โค๏ธ
I've been watching him since I was in middle school.
sooo, see you in 10 years for the electrolytic potassium permanganate process?
@@ginglyst if he's still making videos then yup I'll be there ๐
Yeah he certainly was my first YouTube chemistry teacher
Dalton S
What's mean OG?
You are right that the KMnO4 is stable over decades. I recently tested A big jar of it that was analytical grade but over 60 years old. It was still 99.5%.
Wow!!
and most likely it is already has been 99.5% back in time
Nurdrage was the first Chem-tuber I watched since 2009, can't believe I am still watching it today, hope to see you again in the next 10 years!
Those are some of the most beautiful crystals I have ever seen, I had personally never seen Pot. Permanganate crystals before, so to me this is astounding!
The method was absolutely killer too!
Gotta agree, those were some super purty permanganate crystals!
Going back through and binge watching nurdrage videos ! I've been watching since i was in 5th grade. Now i am 7 years out of highschool and work in a "lab" in the aerospace industry(machining and metallurgy). Dont think i would be where i am today without your inspiration!
Keep up the great work and thank you ! ๐
Introduction and Context
- 0:10: Video introduction.
- 0:12: The video focuses on making potassium permanganate.
- 0:16: Discusses applications, mainly as an oxidant and in redox titrations.
- 0:26: Buying vs. making potassium permanganate.
- 0:36: Making it is a "trophy achievement" for amateur chemists.
- 0:45: The primary goal is scientific exploration.
Gathering Materials
- 0:50: Weigh 43g of manganese dioxide.
- 0:58: Manganese dioxide quality and purity discussed.
- 1:11: Alternative sources of manganese dioxide.
Preparing the Reaction Mix
- 1:20: Mix with 25g potassium chlorate.
- 1:33: Use an iron can as a crucible.
- 1:45: Add 40mL water and 60g potassium hydroxide.
Performing the Reaction
- 2:00: Mix all reagents.
- 2:06: Heat the mixture in a furnace to 400ยฐC.
Chemical Process Explanation
- 2:24: Chemistry behind potassium manganate formation.
- 2:57: Limitations on reaching potassium permanganate.
After the Reaction
- 3:31: Post-reaction procedures and complications.
- 3:43: Adding 300mL water for soaking.
- 4:03: Physical removal of solid potassium manganate.
Further Oxidation
- 4:20: How to further oxidize to potassium permanganate.
- 4:52: Using chlorine gas for oxidation.
- 5:54: Safer alternative using carbon dioxide.
Purification and Yield
- 6:40: Chilling the mixture.
- 6:55: Vacuum filtering and purifying.
- 7:25: Resulting solution of potassium permanganate.
Crystallization and Final Yield
- 7:29: Cooling and crystallization process.
- 7:37: Resulting crystals described.
- 8:17: Final yield figures and adjustments for purity.
Testing Purity and Additional Notes
- 8:37: Purity tested through titration.
- 9:02: Alternative recovery methods for higher yield.
- 10:03: Additional notes on reusing materials and long-term storage.
Why haven't I seen this channel in my subscription feed in years? I forgot it existed and suddenly it reappeared.
I'm not sure I could ever forget the original and best YouTube science channel.
You have no idea how long ive been waiting for a new video from my favorite youtuber and PhD chemist, thank you for this โค (P.S, are you going to make videos about transition metals like vanadium, and maybe some precious metals like palladium?)
Can't wait for the next video, Peace!
Thank you for the walkthrough. I've found potassium permanganate syntheses in old textbooks (Biltz, Walton) that use the CO2 quenching or directly fusing MnO2 with K2CO3, then hydrolyzing the manganate - this 'fusion method' however leads to low yields due to partial decompostion to MnO2. Oxidation with chlorine is definitely more efficient.
One note about the crucible: Iron is normally inert to hydroxide, but can react at high temperatures (~500 oC), producing iron(III) oxide, sodium and hydrogen.
The Fusion methode is shit because you need to heat the mix 48 hours at the beginning of red glowing heat. Old book descripes this methode (was with KOH) with KClO3 you only need little bit ofer 1hour.
Now we only need to bring back Chemplayer, Rhodanide, Doug's... the old gods of chemistry
Chemplayer ... what a shame all those videos are gone ...
Cody'S peaked :)
โ@@Morbacounet
They are still available on b*tchute.
โ@@Morbacounetthey are around, some ppl reuploaded some of his old comtent
โ@@Morbacounetdougslab, that guy lol, just never could be consistent.. Cody still has some good stuff just doesn't upload very often.
We've been blessed with another NurdRage video.
Youโre definitely one of the best to do it on YouTube . Appreciate your videos 100%
Potassium permanganate is used as a medication for a number of skin conditions. This includes fungal infections of the foot, impetigo, pemphigus, superficial wounds, dermatitis, and tropical ulcers. For tropical ulcers it is used together with procaine benzylpenicillin.
Dr has recommended in the past soaking ingrown toenails in potassium permanganate to help with the infection
The most trusted most deepest voice in science!
For some reason I read the title as "Potassium Pomegranate". The worse part is that it made total sense. Perhaps I shouldn't be watching chemistry videos after 2 am.
So great to see you back and doing science again regularly after the long break! Love your content, looking forward to your next video.
That was super helpful. Very well done. Finally someone can make potassium permanganate with great success! Fascinating experiment to explore the science of making it.
Great work again ๐๐ป love these routes, easy accessible for the amateur and leading to chemicals who are often hard to get and normal hard to synthesize. First Sodium now KMnO4 maybe u can do LiAlH4 or something like that in the future ๐ค or CS2 would also be much appreciate ๐
I'll second the LiAlH4, a more practical prep for that would really impressive.
@@EddieTheH this where only the first things come to my mind thinking about chems who are hard to get and hard to synthesize for me
Errr, isn't potassium permanganate commonly available as a makeshift disinfectant?
Ah yes I love Potassium Pomegranate, very tasty juice
I'd love to see you try sodium/potassium/etc vacuum reduction/distillation like Elias' Experiments featured a few months ago. The distilation/reaction flask and collection tube is kind of a pain to build, but being able to go from magnesium turnings and alkali metal oxide directly to pure metal is a game changer! Your work on sodium production was very impressive, so even using the impure sodium you got as a feedstock to distill the pure metal would be amazing, and a bit safer than directly reacting magnesium turnings and metal oxides, especially since Elias said that for larger amounts the reaction went too quickly, and they might have to use aluminum powder instead. I always disliked the dioxane purification process and needing to reflux the sodium in it for a long time to improve purity, such a mess and quite tedious for an otherwise very clean reaction, producing the sodium.
Next up: how to make magnesium metal.
Being a follower on Twitter, I was waiting for this video to drop!
Very informative and calm narrative. Nice. Beautiful experiement
Awesome new vijeo!!!!
excellent work
Marvelous... I always loved your old potassium permanganate from batteries video. :)
Absolutely stunning. Very interesting prep too.
as always, a wonderful, informative video! Love it!
Beautiful crystals you got there โค
@1:56 - The color change on that can as you were mixing is curious and very cool.
I think the can was a little damp and the exotherm from dissolving the KOH drove off the water
Another exceptionally useful, and well explained, procedure.
How are you not at a million subs yet! You legend.
Brillant work, a true chemistry-genius. Thank you very much for your work. ๐๐๐ช
Awsome! Looks like a rewarding project. I will try this in the lab when i get home. Thanks for another great video ๐
Learned today that KMnO4 with H3O+ can also be used for making carboxylic acids from alkenes. Two weeks till my exam organic syntheses (sn1, sn2, e1, e2), wish me luck!
"Check in with me again in another 10 years" ๐
Cool. Trying electrolytic processes sound cool too
Very cool i hope to make this some day
@4:56 As a pool service pro, I can say I've seen my share of "chlorine generators."
And I have definitely seen a pool with purple crystals on every surface. We called it the "Purple People Eater."
Deliberate or accidental chlorine generators? I think you must mean accidental, given your followup comment. What processes are causing that? What purple crystals - surely there's no manganese in swimming pools?
I tried these and other methods years ago (when chlorates were still allowed, but they are now banned here in the EU), but I never achieved significant yields or purities. It usually breaks down again into manganese dioxide shortly after adding carbon dioxide, sulfuric acid or chlorine.
Or potassium chloride or hypochlorite could hardly be separated.
Cans or crucibles made of iron are also a problem. Divalent iron, which is then present in the melt, reduces permanganate.
I also only ever had one Bunsen burner at my disposal.
I think that the hours of implementation in the furnace are ultimately a prerequisite for sufficient implementation.
Ur awesome
I love pomegranate
Lol
Must not taste the forbidden red wine from the flask, despite how delicious it looks.
very good!
Splendid job! Two points Iโd like to throw out there. Could you just convert spent MnO2 to manganese(II) salts for possible later generation of more pure MnO2?
Also, I read that electrolytic potassium permanganate is done with iron cathode 10X surface area of anode to thwart reduction and favor oxidation. Not at all sure about suitable anodes for this. So maybe do electrolysis in a steel can with anode in center. Maybe iron can is sitting in a glass dish of water to control temperature. Iโm not sure
Cool
It's funny to think that the strange pink water at the dentists was once diluted potassium permanganate in water, used as an antiseptic mouthwash, maybe still is in some parts of the world... :P
Love your stuff - I know it hasnโt been easy.
"check on with me in anotjer ten years."
Has it really been that long? I think its been six years since your chlorate cell video and i finally got around to doing that. I mostly just want to jse that see if i can get it to displace with a heavier metal, ut i doubt it.
glorious
@NurdRage - 2023-10-07
Note sure if i'll have another video next week, but i hope to have at least one more before the end of the month.
@koukouzee2923 - 2023-10-07
I remember you've tweeting something about amateur pressure hydrogenation
How is that video going
@ryans3074 - 2023-10-07
Interesting
@1BobTheSubGenius - 2023-10-07
๐
@mynameisZhenyaArt_ - 2023-10-08
hopefully sooner than 10y. One of the youtubers, I would prefer doing videos full time, but probably he has to live a life too )
@Bozemanjustin - 2023-10-09
0:55 I remember when I was a little kid in the 90s reading the jolly Rogers cookbook, and seeing the recipe for something that required potassium, permanganate and gasoline
I thought, I know I have gasoline at the house cuz we have a lawn mower, what do you use this potassium for, and when I found out what it was used for, I looked and sure enough we had a bottle of it on the shelf because we had a well.
So I was making that thing from the jolly Rogers cookbook within about 10 minutes lol