The predicted reaction between manganese Mn and chlorine Cl can be determined by examining their electronic configurations and their positions in the periodic table.Manganese Mn has an atomic number of 25 and an electronic configuration of [Ar] 4s 3d. Chlorine Cl has an atomic number of 17 and an electronic configuration of [Ne] 3s 3p. Manganese is in Group 7 of the periodic table, while chlorine is in Group 17 Group 7A in older notation .Manganese can lose two electrons from its 4s orbital and up to five electrons from its 3d orbital, forming Mn, Mn, Mn, Mn, Mn, and Mn ions. Chlorine can gain one electron to complete its 3p orbital, forming a Cl ion.The most common reaction between manganese and chlorine is the formation of manganese II chloride MnCl , where manganese loses two electrons and forms a Mn ion, and chlorine gains one electron to form two Cl ions:Mn s + 2 Cl g MnCl s Now let's compare this to the reaction between iron Fe and chlorine. Iron Fe has an atomic number of 26 and an electronic configuration of [Ar] 4s 3d. Iron can lose two electrons from its 4s orbital and up to four electrons from its 3d orbital, forming Fe and Fe ions. The most common reactions between iron and chlorine are the formation of iron II chloride FeCl and iron III chloride FeCl :1. Fe s + 2 Cl g FeCl s 2. 2 Fe s + 3 Cl g 2 FeCl s In summary, both manganese and iron react with chlorine to form metal chlorides. Manganese primarily forms manganese II chloride MnCl , while iron can form both iron II chloride FeCl and iron III chloride FeCl . The difference in their reactions is due to the different oxidation states that manganese and iron can adopt.