Electronegativity In JEE Chemistry : Electronegativity is a fundamental concept in chemistry that describes the ability of an atom to attract shared electrons in a chemical bond. It plays a crucial role in understanding various chemical phenomena, including bond polarity, molecular structure, and reactivity. This article explores the applications and different scales of electronegativity, shedding light on its significance in the realm of chemistry.
Electronegativity In JEE Chemistry : Electronegativity is a measure of the tendency of an atom to attract electrons towards itself when participating in a chemical bond. It is influenced by several factors, including atomic size, nuclear charge, and electron shielding. The concept was first introduced by Linus Pauling in 1932, and since then, various scales and methods have been developed to quantify electronegativity.
A polar covalent bond of A-B may be broken as,
(Electronegativity A> Electronegativity B)
depending on their tendency to attract bonded electron.
Atomic size
Ex. F>Cl>Br>I
Effective Nuclear Charge (Z eff )
Ex. Mn +2 <Mn +4 <Mn +7
O -2 <O -1 <O<O +1 <O +2
Fe<Fe +2 <Fe +3
% s –Character
(A) Electronegativity decreases down the group.
(B) In period on moving from left to right electronegativity increases regularly.
(C) Electronegativity of Cs and Fr are equal, it is because from 55 Cs to 87 Fr only one shell increases but nuclear charge (No. of proton) increases by +32 , so effect of nuclear charge balanced the effect of increase in number of shell.
Electronegativity of F > Cl but Electron affinity of Cl > F
In IIIA group, value of electronegativity is irregular when going down the group, because of transition contraction.
Electronegativity of Ga > Electronegativity of Al
H – F > H – Cl > H – Br > H – I
As the bond strength decreases, the acidic strength increases.
Order of increasing acidic strength is:-
HF < HCl < HBr < H – I
The metallic character decreases as the electronegativity of the element increases.
On moving from left to right in a period, the electronegativity of the elements increases. So the metallic character decreases.
On moving down a group, the electronegativity of the elements decreases, so the metallic character increases.
(Here X A is E.N. of A &X B is E.N. of B)
Order of stability of hydro halides HF > HCl > HBr > HI
Order of acidic strength HF < HCl < HBr < HI
In VA group NH 3 < PH 3 < AsH 3 < SbH 3 < BiH 3
Thermal stability decreases
Acidic character increases
As per Gallis, In AOH if electronegativity of A is more than 1.7 (Non metal) then it is acidic in nature.
BeO,Al 2 O 3 ZnO,SnO,PbO,SnO 2 ,PbO 2 ,Sb 2 O 3 etc. are Amphoteric oxides.
CO,H 2 O,NO,N 2 O etc. are Neutral oxides.