Question

What determines the types of chemical reactions that an atom participates in? Is it the number of electrons in the outermost shell, the number of electrons in the innermost shell, the atomic number, the atomic mass, or the number of protons it contains? And can you please explain why too? This is so confusing to me.

Answer 1

The number of electrons in the outermost shell determines essentially the type of chemical reactions that an atom participates in it is because these electrons are involved in chemical reactions as they can be donated, shared and thus rearranged by forming covalent bonds to produce new substances