This paper investigates the linear stability of reacting mixing layers with special emphasis on the existence of multiple unstable modes. The governing equations for laminar flows are from two-dimensional compressible boundary-layer equations. The chemistry is a finite rate single step irreversible reaction with Arrhenius kinetics. For the incompressible reacintg mixing layer with variable density. A necessary condition for instability has been derived. The condition requires that the angular momentum, not the vorticity, to have a maximum in the flow domain. New inflectional modes of instability are found to exist in the outer part of the mixing layer. For the compressible reacting mixing layer, supersonic unstable modes may exist in the abscence of a generalized inflection point. The outer modes at high Mach numbers in the reacting mixing layer are continuations of the inflectional modes of low Mach number flows. However, the generalized inflection point is less important at supersonic flows.