In this study, a series of Mn substituted magnetites were synthesized and used in catalyzing the heterogeneous Fenton degradation of acid orange II and Pb(II) adsorption, in order to investigate the effect of Mn substitution on the reactivity of magnetite. The valence and local environment of both Fe and Mn in the spinel structure of magnetite were investigated by X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectroscopy. The incorporation of Mn did not change the valence and local structure of Fe in the synthetic magnetite, while Mn was in the valences of +2 and +3. The Mn distribution on the octahedral sites of magnetite surface increased with the increase in Mn content. The Mn introduction led to an improvement of catalytic activity of magnetite. The sample with the minimum Mn content displayed the best efficiency in -OH production and the degradation of acid orange II, while the other substituted samples did not show obvious difference in their catalytic performance. The adsorption capacity of magnetite samples toward Pb(II) gradually increased with the increase in Mn content. The above influences of Mn substitution on the reactivity of magnetite were discussed in views of the variations in microstructural environment and physicochemical properties. (C) 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.