Question
Explain the following:
(i) Boron has high melting and boiling points.
(ii) Aluminium is a good reducing agent.
Solution
(i) Due to small atomic size boron forms strong covalent bonds with the neighbouring atoms. Thus boron atoms are closely packed in its solid, thus boron has high melting and boiling points.
(ii) Because of its high affinity for oxygen, it reduces many metallic oxides to metals.
For example.
