manganese

A metallic chemical element (symbol Mn) with an atomic number of 25, not a free element in nature but often found in minerals in combination with iron, and useful in industrial alloy production.

Oxygen levels on Earth skyrocketed 2.4 billion years ago, when cyanobacteria evolved photosynthesis:[…]. The evolutionary precursor of photosynthesis is still under debate, and a new study sheds light. The critical component of the photosynthetic system is the “water-oxidizing complex”, made up of manganese atoms and a calcium atom.

For the past ten years Brad Racette, a neurologist at Washington University in St Louis, Missouri, has been tracking those effects, paying special attention to welders, since they are exposed to more manganese than most people. Being harder than iron, manganese is often used to strengthen steel and is present in many industrial emissions, including welding fumes.

A single atom of this element.