And if we will see in the modern periodic table Fluorine is the most electronegative element in that. The electronegativity of the s and p block members rises as you move up the group. Across the periodic table, electronegativity rises from left to right (metals to nonmetals). These two qualities reflect how tightly an atom maintains its own electrons and how strongly it attracts other electrons. Electronegativity is determined by the electron affinity and ionisation energy of an atom. This means that the elements are organised in the periodic table in such a way that their chemical and physical characteristics follow a predictable pattern. It is one of the elements’ periodic qualities. It also describes an atom’s ability to remove electron density when a covalent link is created. Electronegativity DefinitionĮlectronegativity is described as an element’s or atom’s proclivity to attract bonding pairs of electrons towards itself. Elements with large electronegativity differences tend to form ionic compounds, which are made up of positively and negatively charged units called ions elements with moderate electronegativity differences form polar, covalent compounds, in which atoms are held together by chemical bonds but show some degree of ionisation and elements with nearly equal electronegativity differences form nonpolar compounds, which have little charge separation. Large electronegativity values indicate a greater attraction for electrons than low electronegativity values. Linus Pauling, an American chemist, developed electronegativity values that range from slightly less than one for alkali metals to a maximum of four for fluorine.

Electronegativity is a measure of an atom’s attraction to bonding electrons in molecules in comparison to other atoms.

Element table electronegativity