3.6 bond polarity Flashcards
Define ‘electronegativity’.
The power of an atom to attract negative charge towards itself within a covalent bond.
Why does electronegativity increase along a period?
The atomic radius of atoms decrease.
Why does electronegativity decrease down a group?
Shielding increases meaning that there is less attraction between the nucleus and the bonding pair of electrons.
How does nuclear charge affect electronegativity?
The more protons in the nucleus, the stronger the attraction is between the nucleus and the bonding pair of electrons. Along a period, the number of protons increases.
The further up and right you go in the periodic table (excluding noble gases) the more electronegative the element is. Fluorine is the most electronegative.
The Pauling Scale helps us to quantify how electronegative an element is.