Manganese(II,III) oxide a weighting agent while drilling reservoir sections in oil and gas wells. Manganese(II,III) oxide Manganese(II,III) oxide is the chemical compound with formula MnO. Manganese is present in two oxidation states +2 and +3 and the formula is sometimes written as MnO.MnO. MnO is found in nature as the mineral hausmannite. MnO formed when any manganese oxide is heated in air above 1000 °C. Considerable research has centred on producing nanocrystalline MnO and various syntheses that involve oxidation of Mn or reduction of Mn. MnO has been found to act as a catalyst for a range of reactions e.g. the oxidation
Manganese recovery of the manganese. For further purification, the manganese can then be sent to an electrowinning facility. In 1972 the CIA's Project Azorian, through billionaire Howard Hughes, commissioned the ship "Hughes Glomar Explorer" with the cover story of harvesting manganese nodules from the sea floor. That triggered a rush of activity to collect manganese nodules, which was not actually practical. The real mission of "Hughes Glomar Explorer" was to raise a sunken Soviet submarine, the K-129, with the goal of retrieving Soviet code books. Manganese has no satisfactory substitute in its major applications in metallurgy. In minor applications, (e.g., manganese