Question

In terms of oxidising and reducing properties, what are metals and non- metals?

Answer 1

Metals are electropositive by nature, which means they have a higher tendency than other elements to give away a pair of electrons. Nonmetals are electronegative, which implies they have a higher tendency for attracting or gaining electrons.

Complete answer:
A reducing agent is the reactant in a reaction that causes the other reactant to be reduced. The reducing agent undergoes oxidation.
The oxidising agent is the reactant in a reaction that causes the other reactant to become oxidised. The oxidizing agent undergoes reduction.
Reduction is a chemical reaction in which one element gains or attracts electrons from another. This is particularly common in nonmetals, which are also more electronegative. Furthermore, the oxidation number falls with regard to sign in reduction, allowing the oxidation number to be changed from $0$ to negative integers.
The process by which one element loses an electron to another element is known as oxidation. This is particularly seen in metals that are also electropositive. The oxidation number increases as the number of electrons lost increases in this process. That is, for each lost electron, the oxidation number might vary from $0$ to positive integers, such as $- 4$ to $- 1$.
As non-metals are being reduced. They act as oxidising agents while metals are being oxidised, they act as reducing agents.

Note:
Good oxidizing agents include ${O_2}$, ${O_3}$, and $C{l_2}$, which are the elemental forms of the second and third most electronegative elements, respectively. Active metals with low electro-negativities and tiny ionisation energies, such as sodium, magnesium, aluminium, and zinc, are good reducing agents. Metal hydrides such as $NaH$, $Ca{H_2}$, and $LiAl{H_4}$, are also effective reducing agents.