In: Chemistry
Does the difference in oxidation state of the metal affect the type of reactions and bonding the metal will have?
The answer is yes.
When the oxidation number changes, the electron density and size also changes which greatly affect on bonding and reactions.
Let us answer this question with some examples.
In KMnO4 Mn is in +7 oxidation state which is the highest oxidation state of Mn. So it acts as a strong oxidizing agent. But in MnO2 the oxidation state of Mn is +4. Thus it can get increased to +5,+6,+7 or decreased to +2. Thus it can act as both reducing agent and oxidizing agent as well.
Silmlarly when the oxidation state of metal increases it's abilty to polarize anions increases and thus the covalency increases.
So as a conclusion we can say that oxidation state of a metal has great influence in bonding and reactions.