What are electronegativity values?
1 Answer
Electronegativity values show the relative attraction for valence electrons that each element or atom has.
Explanation:
Fluorine has the highest electronegativity with a value of 4. This means that in a bond (covalent, ionic, or in between), fluorine is expected to have more attraction for the bonding electrons, and such electrons are said to be skewed more towards the fluorine atom that to the other atom.
Metals have some of the lowest electronegativities, so the electrons will not be held closely to the metallic atoms. In a bond with a nonmetal that has a higher electronegativity, the electrons will be pulled much closer to the nonmetal leaving the metal effectively as a positive ion.
When metals are joined to other metals, metallic bonds are formed. This is a floating "sea" of delocalized electrons. Since metals generally have low electronegativities, the electrons are generally loose, so they move freely from metal center to metal center.
Inert gases (noble gases) have no electronegativity on the Pauling scale. Since these atoms are already stable they have little to no attraction for extra electrons without further energy input.
