Explain why, carbon cannot reduce oxides of sodium or magnesium.

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Solution

Sodium and magnesium are most reactive metals (placed at the top in the reactivity series). They are very stable and cannot be reduced by carbon. They have more attraction to oxygen than carbon. Thus, carbon cannot combine with oxygen and reduce these metal oxides to metals.

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Explain why, carbon cannot reduce oxides of sodium or magnesium.

Q. Carbon cannot reduce the oxides of sodium to sodium because

Q. Assertion :Carbon cannot reduce the oxides of

N a

M g

. Reason: Sodium and magnesium have higher affinity towards oxygen than towards carbon because these are highly reactive metals.

Q. Zinc oxide can be reduced to zinc by using carbon monoxide, but aluminium oxide cannot be reduced by a reducing agent. Explain why?

(a) For the reduction of a metal oxide, suggest a reducing agent other than carbon.
(b) Explain why an aqueous solution of sodium chloride is not used for the electrolytic extraction of sodium metal.

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