How is electronegativity defined?
1. the tendency of an atom to give up electrons
2. the tendency of an atom to attract electrons in a bond
3. the overall negative charge on an atom
4. the overall number of negatively charged particles in an atom
2. the tendency of an atom to attract electrons in a bond
The correct definition of electronegativity is option 2: the tendency of an atom to attract electrons in a bond. Electronegativity is a property of atoms that measures their ability to attract electrons towards themselves when they participate in a chemical bond. The higher the electronegativity of an atom, the stronger its ability to attract electrons.
Electronegativity is defined as the tendency of an atom to attract electrons in a chemical bond. It is a fundamental concept in chemistry and helps us understand how atoms interact with each other to form compounds.
To determine the electronegativity of an atom, you can refer to a table known as the Pauling electronegativity scale. Linus Pauling, an American chemist, proposed this scale to assign electronegativity values to different elements.
The Pauling scale assigns a value between 0.7 and 4.0 to each element, where 0.7 represents the lowest electronegativity and 4.0 represents the highest. Elements with higher electronegativity values have a stronger ability to attract electrons in a bond.
Answer option 2, "the tendency of an atom to attract electrons in a bond," is the correct definition of electronegativity.