In which of the following bonds does nitrogen carry a slightly negative charge?
(8-)
Select one:
a. N-N
b. N-C
c. N-O
d. N-F
To determine in which of the following bonds nitrogen carries a slightly negative charge, we need to consider the electronegativity values of the elements involved.
Electronegativity is a measure of the tendency of an atom to attract a bonding pair of electrons. Generally, the higher the electronegativity value, the more strongly an atom attracts electrons.
In this case, we are comparing the electronegativity values of nitrogen (N) with the other elements in the given answer choices.
Now let's look at the electronegativity values:
Nitrogen (N): 3.04
Carbon (C): 2.55
Oxygen (O): 3.44
Fluorine (F): 3.98
To determine if nitrogen carries a slightly negative charge, we need to find a bond where nitrogen is less electronegative than the other element involved, indicating that nitrogen has a partial negative charge.
Comparing the electronegativities, we can see that nitrogen has a lower electronegativity than oxygen (N: 3.04 < O: 3.44) and fluorine (N: 3.04 < F: 3.98). However, it has a higher electronegativity than carbon (N: 3.04 > C: 2.55).
Therefore, the bond in which nitrogen carries a slightly negative charge is:
c. N-O (Nitrogen-Oxygen)
In this bond, oxygen is more electronegative than nitrogen, which results in nitrogen carrying a partial negative charge.