How do you predict the reaction of atoms using the periodic table?

Answer 1

Your question is difficult to address because so many factors go into making a chemical reaction happen.

1) Which elements are more reactive? Generally, a more reactive element will replace a less reactive one in a compound. For example, 2NaBr + Cl2 --> 2NaCl + Br2.

2) Are the reactants both dissolving? If so, the relatively-more-positive portion of one compound might bump into, and stick to, the relatively-more-negative portion of the other compound. For example, NaCl and KI both dissolve in water: NaCl + KI --> NaI + KCl

3) What will help a reactant gain a stable configuration? For example, oxygen is stable when it has 8 electrons in its valence shell; hydrogen is stable when it has two. Oxygen normally has 6, hydrogen normally has 1. If two hydrogens share that one electron with oxygen and share one of oxygen's in return, then the valence shells are complete and the produce has a stable configuration: O2 + 2H2 --> 2H2O.

So in order to find out the answer to your question, you might want to look into some of the more specific questions that make it up, like: how do you predict the electron configuration of an element? How do you tell how reactive an element is? How do you predict how stable a compound is?

Answer 2

The position of atom describes their properties. Hence their reaction can also be predicted.