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How are alkali metal oxides prepared from metal nitrates?

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All alkali metal oxides can be prepared by heating the corresponding metal nitrate with the elemental metal. The chemical equation for this reaction is as follows:1

$2 M N O_{3} + 10 M + heat \to 6 M_{2} O + N_{2}$

In this reaction, $M$ represents an alkali metal atom. This method is distinct from the general preparation of alkaline earth oxides, which typically involves heating metal carbonates.1