Answer to Question #204758 in General Chemistry for Master j

Question

i. Define the term ‘electronegativity.’

ii. Explain how the concept of electronegativity relates to bond polarity.

Answer 1

I. Electronegativity, symbolized as χ, is the tendency of an atom to attract shared electrons to itself. An atom's electronegativity is affected by both its atomic number and the distance at which its valence electrons reside from the charged nucleus.

ii. The electronegativity of an atom determines how strongly it attracts electrons to itself. The polarity of a bond is affected by the electronegativity values of the two atoms involved in that bond.