Final answer:
Manganese achieves a +7 oxidation state with oxygen due to the combination of oxygen's lower electronegativity and oxidation state of -2 per atom in molecules like MnO4-. With fluorine, however, manganese's maximum oxidation state is +4 because fluorine's higher electronegativity and stronger oxidizing power limit higher oxidation states.
Step-by-step explanation:
Manganese (Mn) exhibits different oxidation states when combined with oxygen and fluorine due to differences in electronegativity and chemical properties. When combined with oxygen, as in the permanganate ion (MnO4-), the oxidation state of each oxygen atom is typically -2. Since there are four oxygen atoms, they contribute a total of -8. Considering the overall charge of the ion (-1), manganese must exhibit an oxidation state of +7 to balance the charge.
On the other hand, when manganese interacts with fluorine, it cannot attain such a high oxidation state because fluorine has a greater electronegativity and stronger oxidizing ability than oxygen. Fluorine's strong attraction for electrons limits manganese to lower oxidation states. For instance, in MnF4, the maximum oxidation state of manganese is +4, as each fluorine atom has an oxidation state of -1. Therefore, to balance the charge, manganese can only reach an oxidation state of +4 when it reacts with fluorine.