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Dissolved Mn (III) is a strong oxidant which could play an important role in the biogeochemistry of aquatic environments, but little is known about this form of Mn. Mn(III) was shown to form a stable complex with pyrophosphate which is easily measured by uv-vis spectrophotometry. The Mn(III)-pyrophosphate complex was produced at concentrations of 5 μM to 10 mM Mn at neutral pH. Inorganic electron donors, Fe(II) and sulfide, abiotically reduced Mn(III)-pyrophosphate in seconds with a stoichiometry of 1:1 and near 1:2 reductant:Mn (III), respectively. Shewanella putrefaciens strain MR-1 catalyzed the reduction of Mn(III)-pyrophosphate with formate or lactate as electron donors. Reduction of Mn(III) catalyzed by MR-1 was inhibited under aerobic conditions but only slightly under anaerobic conditions upon addition of the alternate electron acceptor, nitrate. MR-1 catalyzed reduction was also inhibited by metabolic …