Follow the given steps to calculate the electronegativity or chemical bond type:
- Note the electronegativity of the first and second elements. ...
- Subtract the two electronegativity values and you will have the electronegativity difference of the two elements or atoms.
- Three different conditions determine the type of chemical bond that the selected elements may form. ...
- Now, compare the electronegativity difference you obtained with these three conditions to identify the bond.
Full Answer
How do you find the electronegativity of an atom?
1 An atom's electronegativity gets higher as you move to the right in the periodic table. 2 An atom's electronegativity gets higher as you move up in the periodic table. 3 Thus, the atoms in the top right have the highest electronegativities and the atoms in the bottom left have the lowest ones. More items...
Why do we use the periodic table to find the electronegativity?
By using a periodic table you can estimate the strength of an atom's electronegativity compared to the strength of another element's atom. An atom's electronegativity gets higher as you move to the right in the periodic table. An atom's electronegativity gets higher as you move up in the periodic table.
How does electronegativity affect electrons in a bond?
When two atoms share a set of two electrons in a bond, they don't always share them equally. When one atom has higher electronegativity than the atom it's bonded to, it pulls the two electrons in the bond closer to itself.
What is an example of electronegativity?
Electronegativity Example. The chlorine atom has a higher electronegativity than the hydrogen atom, so the bonding electrons will be closer to the Cl than to the H in the HCl molecule. In the O 2 molecule, both atoms have the same electronegativity.

Which is the best definition of electronegativity?
Electronegativity is a function of an atom’s ability to attract an electrons binding pair. The most frequently used is the Pauling scale. Fluorine...
What is high electronegativity?
Electronegativity decrease as it moves from top to bottom and increases over time from left to right. The most electronegative element is, therefor...
What is the electronegativity difference?
The degree to which an atom attracts electrons in a chemical bond is described by electronegativity. If the difference in electronegativity is grea...
What is the difference between electron affinity and electronegativity?
The difference between the two is that electronegativity is a chemical property that shows how well an atom can attract electrons to itself as the...
Is electronegativity a relative quantity?
Electronegativity is an example of an atom’s ability to attract electrons. It is proportional to the difference between the potential for ionizatio...
How does electronegative vary along the period?
Electronegativity increases as we move left to the right in the period because as we move across the period, the effective nuclear charge increases...
How does electronegative vary in a group?
Electronegativity decreases as we move down the group because as we move down the group, the atomic size increases and the effective nuclear charge...
Name the most electronegative element and least electronegative element in the periodic table?
Fluorine is the most electronegative element, and caesium is the least electronegative element in the periodic table.
How does the electronegativity of an element affect its bonding?
The electronegativity of an element affects the bonding of an element. Elements with high electronegativity tend to form ionic bonds with other ele...
Electronegativity Example
The chlorine atom has a higher electronegativity than the hydrogen atom, so the bonding electrons will be closer to the Cl than to the H in the HCl molecule.
Most and Least Electronegative Elements
The most electronegative element on the periodic table is fluorine (3.98). The least electronegative element is cesium (0.79). The opposite of electronegativity is electropositivity, so you could simply say cesium is the most electropositive element.
Electronegativity as a Periodic Table Trend
Like electron affinity, atomic/ionic radius, and ionization energy, electronegativity shows a definite trend on the periodic table .
Sources
Jensen, William B. "Electronegativity from Avogadro to Pauling: Part 1: Origins of the Electronegativity Concept." 1996, 73, 1. 11, J. Chem. Educ., ACS Publications, January 1, 1996.
Electronegativity calculator
Electronegativity is a measure that varies between atoms and influences their chemical properties and the type of bond the atoms will form.
What is electropositivity?
Electropositivity is considered the opposite of electronegativity because it is the characteristic of an atom to donate its valence electrons. It means that the electronegativity of an atom is so low that it does not attract atoms and instead donates electrons. Such an atom is considered to be electropositive.
Electronegativity formula
We use the absolute value because we need the END value to always be positive to identify the type of chemical bond. Our electronegativity difference calculator uses the above formula.
Electronegativity chart. How to find electronegativity?
If you want to calculate the electronegativity difference or the type of bond between two elements, you need to have an electronegativity chart for the electronegativity values of all elements on the periodic table.
Electronegativity trend
The electronegativity trend in the periodic table is what helps us identify and understand the difference in electronegativities of various elements. For instance, what happens to the electronegativity of an atom as we move down the group or across the period? Which element is the most or least electronegative?
Why does electronegativity increase across a period?
As you move down the group in the periodic table, the number of shells of an atom increases, increasing the distance between the nucleus and outermost shell. When the distance is increased and the shielding is also increased, it causes a decrease in nuclear attraction.
Why does electronegativity decrease down the group?
As you move down the group in the periodic table, the number of electron shells of an atom increase, furthering the distance between the nucleus and outermost shell. When the distance is increased and the shielding is also increased, it causes a decrease in nuclear attraction.
Table of Content
What is Electronegativity? Periodic Trends in Electronegativity Electronegativity Table Factors Affecting Electronegativity FAQs
What is Electronegativity?
The tendency of an atom in a molecule to attract the shared pair of electrons towards itself is known as electronegativity.
Periodic Trends in the Electronegativities of Elements
As we move across a period from left to right the nuclear charge increases and the atomic size decreases, therefore the value of electronegativity increases across a period in the modern periodic table. For example, the electronegativity trend across period 3 in the periodic table is depicted below.
Most and Least Electronegative Elements
Fluorine is the most electronegative element on the periodic table. Its electronegativity value is 3.98. Cesium is the least electronegative element. Its electronegativity value is 0.79. Electro positivity is the exact opposite of electronegativity, therefore, we can say that Cesium is the most electropositive element.
Impact of Electronegativity on Covalent Bonding
The strength of a covalent bond is highly dependent on the electronegativities of the two bonded atoms (especially the difference in the electronegativities of the bonded atoms).
Electronegativity Table
Electronegativity is a chemical property that describes the power of an atom in a molecule to attract electrons to itself. There is a large difference in electronegativity for atoms from the left- and right-hand sides of the periodic table.
Factors Affecting Electronegativity
A greater atomic size will result in less value of electronegativity, this happens because electrons being far away from the nucleus will experience a lesser force of attraction.
Most recent answer
This has been inactive for a while so it is likely not relevant at this point but thought I would weigh in for anyone who comes across this since I did not find the other responses actually answered the asker's question.
Popular Answers (1)
In chemistry, electronegativity is a measure of how strongly an atom attracts the electrons in a bond. An atom with high electronegativity attracts electrons strongly, while an atom with low electronegativity attracts them weakly.
All Answers (4)
In chemistry, electronegativity is a measure of how strongly an atom attracts the electrons in a bond. An atom with high electronegativity attracts electrons strongly, while an atom with low electronegativity attracts them weakly.
Bond Polarity
The ability of an atom in a molecule to attract shared electrons is called electronegativity. When two atoms combine, the difference between their electronegativities is an indication of the type of bond that will form.
Properties of Polar Molecules
Polar molecules tend to align when placed in an electric field with the positive end of the molecule oriented toward the negative plate and the negative end toward the positive plate (Figure 5.10. 14 ). We can use an electrically charged object to attract polar molecules, but nonpolar molecules are not attracted.
Contributions & Attributions
This page was constructed from content via the following contributor (s) and edited (topically or extensively) by the LibreTexts development team to meet platform style, presentation, and quality:
