Like many Mn(II) species, these salts are pink, with the paleness of the color being characteristic of transition metal complexes with high spin d5 configurations.

By carefully neutralizing the resulting solution with MnCO3, one can selectively precipitate iron salts, which are common impurities in manganese dioxide.

Upon treatment with typical organic ligands, manganese(II) undergoes oxidation by air to give Mn(III) complexes.

Triphenylphosphine forms a labile 2:1 adduct: Anhydrous manganese(II) chloride serves as a starting point for the synthesis of a variety of organomanganese compounds.

For example, manganocene is prepared by reaction of MnCl2 with a solution of sodium cyclopentadienide in tetrahydrofuran (THF).