Cation Distribution and Magnetic Moment of Manganese Ferrite

It is shown that the value of the magnetic moment of manganese ferrite measured recently by Hastings and Corliss can be explained on the basis of their observations of cation distribution if the Mn in $A$ and $B$ sites is assumed to be ${\mathrm{Mn}}^{2+}$ and ${\mathrm{Mn}}^{3+}$, respectively. This possibility is discussed in relation to the ionic composition found for a single crystal of manganese ferrite grown by the flame fusion method.