Yes, I think that is what I'm rambling about. Thank you. I looked up "redox table" and got something a bit more resolved than maybe a dozen elements. Now I also have ranking numbers that look like (hmm, muddy brain- could it have been?) electronegativity.
I've only had one quarter of chemistry, and it was long ago. Is this what I'm looking for? For reactions, I think I'm looking for predictability in double replacements that are exothermic- all downhill.