Practice question · True or false
An electronegativity difference of exactly 1.7 marks a physical boundary at which a bond stops being covalent and becomes ionic.
Hints
- Is the ionic/covalent distinction a sharp switch or a gradual change?
- The cut-offs are useful conventions on a continuous scale.
Show the answer
False
Why
False, bonding varies continuously from equal sharing to complete transfer. The 1.7 figure is a convenient convention, and compounds either side of it behave very similarly.
Practise Chemical Bonds and Electronegativity
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