Question

Why carbon cannot reduce the oxides og Na or Mg

Answer 1

This is because sodium and magnesium are more reactive than carbon. This means that carbon cannot reduce the oxides of these metals. The two metals are above carbon in the reactivity series and thus have a high affinity to oxygen than carbon does and thus cannot be reduced by it.

Answer 2

Since they are the most reactive metal (from reactivity series of metal)
So their force of attraction with their oxides is very stable. so the common reducing agent like the ‘carbon’ cannot reduce these metals from their oxides.That’s why carbon not able to reduce oxides fro Na and Mg.