Justify the inclusion of alkali metals in the same group of the periodic table with reference to the following.
(ii) Reducing nature.

Explanation

Reducing nature : Alkali metals have bigger atomic sizes and have low I.P values. So they have a tendency to lose electrons and thus they act as strong reducing agents. Among alkali metals lithium is the strongest reducing agent while sodium is the weaker reducing agent. The large hydration energy of small `Li^(+)` ion makes lithium the strongest reducing agent.