What trend in electronegativity do you see as you go down a group/family on the periodic table?

1 Answer
Anthony R.
May 17, 2017

See explanation

Explanation:

As you go across a period, electronegativity increases. As you go down a group, electronegativity decreases. Generally, electronegativity is highest in the upper right of the periodic table. Here's a visual:

enter image source here

As you can see, in this version of the periodic table, the more the block pops out, the higher its electronegativity. You can also see the values underneath each element. The transition metals (in blue) are a little weird but I don't think it will matter much if you are taking general chemistry.

One neat trick I have is that Flourine, or #"F"# has an electronegativity of #4.0# and it is the highest so elements near Flourine also has a high electronegativity. The opposite is true for elements like Caesium (#"Cs"#) or Francium (#"Fr"#) which have the lowest electronegativity. This is useful for if you are ever asked list certain elements in order of increasing or decreasing electronegativity.

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