Using what you know about the trend of electronegativity on the periodic table, which of the following elements would be the most electronegative?
a
Fluorine
b
Iron
c
Calcium
d
Neon
The most electronegative element would be Fluorine (a) because it is located in the top right corner of the periodic table, which is where the elements with higher electronegativity values are typically found.
The trend of electronegativity on the periodic table generally increases from left to right and from bottom to top. Fluorine is the most electronegative element on the periodic table, so the correct answer would be option a) Fluorine.
To determine which of the following elements is the most electronegative, we need to consider the trend of electronegativity on the periodic table.
Electronegativity is the measure of an atom's ability to attract electrons towards itself in a chemical bond. Generally, electronegativity increases moving from left to right across a period and decreases moving down a group on the periodic table.
Let's analyze the elements given:
a) Fluorine: Fluorine is located in Group 17 (also known as Group 7A) and is the element located furthest to the right of the periodic table. As we move across a period from left to right, electronegativity generally increases, so fluorine is expected to have a high electronegativity.
b) Iron: Iron is located in the middle of the periodic table. Electronegativity generally increases from left to right, so iron is expected to have a lower electronegativity compared to elements further to the right.
c) Calcium: Calcium is located in Group 2 (also known as Group 2A) to the left of fluorine. As we move across a period from left to right, electronegativity generally increases, so calcium is expected to have a lower electronegativity compared to fluorine.
d) Neon: Neon is located in Group 18 (also known as Group 8A) to the far right of the periodic table. Elements in the noble gas group, such as neon, have the lowest electronegativity values as they have a complete set of valence electrons and are generally unreactive.
Based on the trend of electronegativity on the periodic table, we can conclude that the most electronegative element among the given options is a) Fluorine.