Potassium permanganate to potassium manganate (oxidation state +6) and manganese dioxide (oxidation state +4). Oxygen gas is also liberated. Potassium permanganate poses risks as an oxidizer. Contact with skin will result in a long lasting pinkish/purple stain. Potassium permanganate Potassium permanganate is an inorganic chemical compound and medication. As a medication it is used for cleaning wounds and dermatitis. It has the chemical formula KMnO and is a salt consisting of K and ions. It is a strong oxidizing agent. It dissolves in water to give intensely pink or purple solutions, the evaporation of which leaves prismatic purplish-black glistening crystals. In 2000,
Chemical element These are often a single capital letter, and the letters are reserved and not used for names of specific elements. For example, an "X" indicates a variable group (usually a halogen) in a class of compounds, while "R" is a radical, meaning a compound structure such as a hydrocarbon chain. The letter "Q" is reserved for "heat" in a chemical reaction. "Y" is also often used as a general chemical symbol, although it is also the symbol of yttrium. "Z" is also frequently used as a general variable group. "E" is used in organic chemistry to denote an electron-withdrawing group