The Mn K Absorption Edge in Manganese Metal and Manganese Compounds

The Mn K edge has been measured in twelve different states of chemical combination with a high resolution double crystal spectrometer. The "white line" at low energies in KMnO₄ is shown to be characteristic of the compound and not of impurities. Less intense low energy absorption is observed in several other compounds. It is believed due to the mixing of states of different angular momentum accompanying homopolar bonding, which thus makes available p-type function at lower energies than would be the case in a purely ionic compound.