If potassium permanganate is added to a solution and it becomes brown is the substance a reducing agent?
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2$\begingroup$ Attribute the brown color to a compound, compare oxidation states before and after, and you get the answer. $\endgroup$ – andselisk♦ Mar 1 '19 at 6:28
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$\begingroup$ Permanganate is a strong oxidizier so most substances will be reducing agents in comparison. Even hydrogen peroxide. $\endgroup$ – FrankS Mar 1 '19 at 9:59
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$\begingroup$ Brown in potassium permanganate reactions usually means you formed MnO2. The cure, If you want a nicer looking reaction forming Mn(II) ion in solution, is to add acid. If you render the balanced equations for permanganate reduction, you find you need a lot of acid to get to Mn(II). $\endgroup$ – Oscar Lanzi Mar 1 '19 at 11:03
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Yes, the substance is a reducing agent which will reduce $\ce{KMnO4}$ into $\ce{MnO2 }$ in neutral or weakly basic medium.
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1$\begingroup$ Welcome to Chemistry.SE!! It'd be great if you could add a chemical reaction, that really adds value to an answer. It'd also be a great opportunity to learn how to use MathJax and mhchem => chemistry.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/86/… $\endgroup$ – Abhigyan Chattopadhyay Mar 1 '19 at 12:26
