Oxidation States - Most Common & Highest States (3d Series)

State Profiles:

$$\begin{aligned} \text{Most Common Oxidation State} &\implies +2 \\ \text{Highest Oxidation State} &\implies +7 \quad (\text{Exhibited by Mn in } \text{KMnO}_4) \end{aligned}$$

Concept: Transition metals display a wide variety of oxidation states due to the close proximity in energy levels between the $$(n-1)d$$ and $$ns$$ subshells, allowing both to participate in chemical bonding. The $$+2$$ state arises from the loss of $$ns^2$$ electrons, while the $$+7$$ state reflects the maximum involvement of all available valence electrons.

Notation:

• $$\text{Most Common}$$ = Characterizes stability in aqueous configurations via hydration or lattice energies;
• $$\text{Highest State}$$ = Reached at Manganese ($$3d^5 4s^2$$ ) at the midpoint of the series.