Proceed with caution, however. The information provided in this article is intended for emergency situations only. Caution should be exercised when using any of the following information.

Potassium permanganate will start a fire when mixed with a couple of different compounds. Glycerin is the most common, but antifreeze will also do the trick. Antifreeze seems to create a reaction that is a little more violent. Be very careful when using either. The reaction is not always immediate. It can take several seconds for the reaction to start a fire – let it be.

After gathering all the necessary fire tinder and large pieces of wood to keep your fire going, place a teaspoon of Potassium permanganate on a flat surface. Carefully add the same amount of Glycerine or Antifreeze evenly on top of your pile. Next, stand back a couple of feet and wait at the ready with your tinder.

Mix sugar in with the Glycerin before adding to your Condy’s Crystals, and you’ll get a decent signal smoke.

For water purification, its use is relatively straight forward. First, if there is any sediment in the water, strain it out. Then add 3 – 4 crystals per liter of water. Stir or shake for a few seconds then let sit for 2 hours. The water should be a light pink (a concentration of 1:10,000) – no darker.

Here are some proportions for killing the different nasty organisms that can find their way into water:

Bacteria requires a minimum of 2.5mg per liter of water.
Viruses require a minimum of 50mg (close to danger levels) per liter.

Potassium permanganate can become toxic in high concentrations, just like anything. The lowest recorded instance of a person poisoned was 100mg per kilogram of body weight. That said, the LD50 scale for Potassium permanganate is 1900mg per kilogram of body weight.

Just remember, as long as it is pink – it’s probably ok to drink.

To use as an antiseptic, anti-fungal treatment, or emergency snow signal, add crystals one by one until the solution turns purple. Shake and use to flush out a wound, soak a fungal infection, or to leave a message in the snow.

Don’t eat snow marked in yellow – just saying.

Ideally, Potassium permanganate should be stored in a nonreactive plastic bottle with a Teflon coated cap. Most plastic bottles and non-coated caps should be fine.

Potassium permanganate is not a perfect option for any of the above-listed purposes. If other more convention options are available  – use them first. What it does do is offer another option should you find yourself with it as your only resource.

The presence of certain metal ions in water causes a variety of problems. These ions interfere with the action of soaps. They also lead to build up of limescale, which can foul plumbing, and galvanic corrosion.

Conventional water-softening appliances intended for household use depend on an ion-exchange resin in which “hardness ions” – mainly Ca2+ and Mg2+- are exchanged for sodium ions. Ion exchange devices reduce the hardness by replacing magnesium and calcium (Mg2+ and Ca2+) with sodium or potassium ions (Na+ and K+).”

Ion-exchange softeners are used extensively in small water systems and individual homes apart from Industry. Ion-exchange resin, exchanges one ion from the water being treated for another ion that is in the resin (sodium is one component of softening salt, with chlorine being the other). Ion Exchange resin exchanges sodium for calcium and magnesium. The following chemical reactions show the exchange process, where R represents Resin, the exchange material.

Removal of carbonate hardness:

Ca(HCO3)2 + Na2R ——> CaR + 2NaHCO3

Mg(HCO3)2 + Na2R ——> MgR + 2NaHCO3

Removal of non-carbonate hardness:

CaSO4 + Na2R —– > CaR + Na2SO4

CaCl2 + Na2R ——> CaR + CaCl2

MgSO4 + Na2R ——> MgR + Na2SO4

MgCl2 + Na2R ——> MgR + 2NaC1

Ion exchange resins are organic polymers containing anionic functional groups to which the divalent cations (Ca++) bind more strongly than monovalent cations (Na+).

Ion-exchange does not alter the water’s pH or alkalinity. However, the stability of the water is altered due to the removal of calcium and magnesium and slight increase in dissolved solids. For each ppm of calcium removed and replaced by sodium, total dissolved solids increase by 0.15 ppm. For each ppm of magnesium removed and replaced by sodium, total dissolved solids increase by 0.88 ppm.

When all the available Na+ ions have been replaced with calcium or magnesium ions, the resin must be re-charged by eluting the Ca2+ and Mg2+ ions using a solution of sodium chloride. The waste waters eluted from the ion exchange column containing the unwanted calcium and magnesium salts are typically discharged to the sewage system in case of household units.