According to my Cotton and Wilkinson text, "Solutions of permanganate are intrinsically unstable, decomposing slowly but observably in acidic solution."
4 MnO4�?/SUP> (aq) + 4 H+ (aq) ––�?gt; 3 O2 (g) + 2 H2O (l) + 4 MnO2 (s)
"In neutral or slightly alkaline solutions in the dark, decomposition is immeasurably slow. It is however, catalyzed by light so that standard permanganate solutions should be stored in dark bottles."
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