Permanganate ion is a polyatomic ion composed of one manganese atom and four oxygen atoms. It has a charge of -1, indicated by the superscript “-1” in its chemical formula MnO4-. On the other hand, potassium ion is a monatomic ion with a charge of +1, denoted by the superscript “+1” in its chemical formula K+.
When potassium permanganate (KMnO4) dissolves in water, it dissociates into its constituent ions: the permanganate ion (MnO4-) and potassium ion (K+). This means that for every molecule of potassium permanganate that dissolves, it forms one permanganate ion and one potassium ion.
To give you a better understanding, let’s consider a hypothetical scenario involving a beaker containing 1 mole of potassium permanganate dissolved in water. In this case, we would have 1 mole of potassium permanganate molecules, which would yield 1 mole of permanganate ions (MnO4-) and 1 mole of potassium ions (K+).
Now, let’s break down the numbers further. One mole of potassium permanganate contains Avogadro’s number (approximately 6.022 x 10^23) of molecules. Therefore, we would have the same number of permanganate ions (MnO4-) and potassium ions (K+).
In each molecule of potassium permanganate, there is one permanganate ion (MnO4-) and one potassium ion (K+). When potassium permanganate dissolves in water, these ions separate and exist independently in the solution.