Complete the description of how electronegativity varies and what it is not.
Electronegativity ______ from left to right across a period, ______ going down a group, and peaks at ______. It must not be confused with ______, which is measured on a free atom in the gas phase.
Word bank: increases · decreases · fluorine · ionisation energy · caesium
Hints
- The trends follow effective nuclear charge, exactly like atomic radius.
- One of the bank entries is the LEAST electronegative element, and one is a different property entirely.
Show the answer
Electronegativity increases from left to right across a period, decreases going down a group, and peaks at fluorine. It must not be confused with ionisation energy, which is measured on a free atom in the gas phase.
Electronegativity rises across a period and falls down a group, peaking at fluorine (4.0). Ionisation energy is a different quantity, an energy in kJ/mol measured on an isolated atom, not a tendency within a bond. Caesium is the distractor: it is the least electronegative element.
Practise Chemical Bonds and Electronegativity
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