Strongest reducing potential

[bohojekek]

The stronger the reducing potential, the more likely to oxidise. The more likely to oxidise, the lower the standard reduction potential. In the question and worked solution below, it states that the larger the standard reduction potential, the stronger the reducing potential. Is this wrong or am I misunderstanding? Shouldn’t the order of strongest to weakest reducing potential be Mn₂+, Mn, MnO₄-, opposite the answer?

[ChenBeier]

No you have to write all equations as Reduction

MnO₄- + 8 H+ + 5 e- => Mn 2+ + 4 H₂O + 1,51 V
Mn 2+ + 2 e- => Mn - 1,18 V
Mn + e- => not possible.

So Permanganate can be reduced to Mn 2+ in this again to Mn

The order is MnO₄- , Mn 2+
Mn has no reducing potential because it cannot reduced further.
In manganese metal the oxidation number is 0, the lowest point for metals normaly. In Mn 2+ its +2 and in MnO₄- its +7.