Question

"Alkali metals are good oxidizing agents."

Answer whether the above statement is true or false.

If true enter 1, else enter 0.

Answer 1

Alkali metals are strong reducing agents. This is so because of the ease with which they lose electrons. The atoms do not have a strong attraction for the single valence electron, and so it is easily lost (small first ionisation energy) to from a $+1$ ion. Because they readily donate electrons in this way, all of them are better reducing agents than hydrogen (E = zero). They are quite reactive, even reducing water. Therefore, these metals react with compounds containing acidic hydrogen atoms such as alcohol and acetylene, liberating hydrogen and themselves becoming oxidized.