The cation in Mn2S3 is manganese III.
To understand why, we need to look at the oxidation states of the elements involved. In the compound Mn2S3, we have two manganese (Mn) ions and three sulfide (S) ions. Sulfur typically has an oxidation state of -2. Since there are three sulfur ions, the total negative charge contributed by sulfur is:
- 3 (sulfide) × -2 (charge per sulfide) = -6
To balance this -6 charge, the manganese ions must collectively have a +6 charge. Since there are two manganese ions, each must have an oxidation state of +3 to achieve this balance:
- 2 (manganese) × +3 (charge per manganese) = +6
This confirms that in Mn2S3, each manganese ion is in the +3 oxidation state, indicating that the cation is manganese III.