Electronegativity
Electronegativity is defined as a qualitative measure of the ability of an atom in a chemical compound to attract shared electrons to itself. It is crucial for understanding how atoms bond with each other and the nature of the compounds they form. Unlike ionization enthalpy and electron gain enthalpy, electronegativity cannot be measured directly but is calculated using various scales developed over the years. The most widely used scale is the Pauling scale, introduced by Linus Pauling in 1922, where fluorine is assigned the highest value of 4.0, indicating the greatest ability to attract electrons.
Electronegativity generally increases across a period from left to right due to decreasing atomic radii, which means that effective nuclear charge on the valence electrons increases, thus enhancing their attraction to shared electrons. Conversely, electronegativity decreases down a group as atomic size increases, which diminishes the nucleus's pull on the shared electrons due to increased distance and shielding effect.
Understanding electronegativity trends allows chemists to predict the behavior of elements in reactions and the types of bonds they will form, determining whether compounds will be ionic or covalent.