❌ False!

🟣 The intense violet color of the [MnO₄]⁻ anion is caused by a charge transfer transition

🚫 [MnO₄]⁻ has Mn in the +7 oxidation state; it has no d-electrons
💡 The color comes from ligand-to-metal charge transfer (LMCT), where electrons move from the oxygen ligands to the empty d-orbitals of Mn

🎨 Types of Electronic Transitions in Transition Metals

🔄 d–d Transitions

🦘 An electron jumps between d orbitals of different energy levels
⚖️ The energy difference depends on the metal, oxidation state, and ligands (explained by Crystal Field Theory)
📈 The splitting pattern is visualized in Tanabe–Sugano diagrams

⚡Charge Transfer Transitions

➡️ An electron jumps from a ligand orbital to a metal orbital (LMCT) or vice versa (MLCT)
⬆️ LMCT is common when the metal is in a high oxidation state
⬇️ MLCT is likely when the metal is in a low oxidation state and the ligand is easily reduced

💥Charge transfer transitions create more intense colors than d–d transitions because they are quantum-mechanically allowed

🌟 Why is Permanganate Purple?

🌞 Photons excite an electron from the highest-energy molecular orbital of an Mn–O bond to an empty Mn d-orbital
🟡 Yellow/green light is absorbed, so
🟣 we see deep red-violet, its complementary color

👉 Fun Fact

🎬 An aqueous solution of potassium permanganate is used in the film and television industry to ‘age’ props and sets. Its reduction to brown MnO₂ gives burlap, ropes, wood, and glass an ‘antique’ appearance [2].

Source/Reference