Electronegativity and the Continuum of Chemical Bonding

What is electronegativity?

It is the relative attraction that an atom in a molecule has for the shared pair of electrons in a covalent bond.

What is a higher electronegative atom better at?

Pulling electrons towards it.

Who created the scale of relative values of electronegativity?

Linus Pauling

What are element with low electronegativity called?

Electropositive

What is a polar covalent bond?

Is a bond in which there is unequal sharing of the pair (pairs) of electrons. This causes one end of the bond to be slightly positive and one end of the bond to be slightly negative.

What does this symbol represent

Electronegative charge.

What is a pure covalent bond?

When there is equal sharing of the pairs (pairs) of electrons.

Why do pure covalent bonds occur?

They occur because the atoms that have bonded have the same or very similar electronegativity values. So neither atom exerts a significantly stonger pull on the shared pair(s) of electrons.

What are the two main uses of electronegativity values

To predict the polarity of covalent bonds

To predict the type of bonding in a compound

What is a polar molecule?

Is a molecule that has an uneven distribution of electrical charges. This means that the molecule has regions (poles) with a partial positive and partial negative charges seperated by a distance.

How are poles in polar molecules created?

Electrons carry a negative charge. When one side of a molecules pulls the electrons closer to it due to electronegativity, it makes that side become slightly negative. The other side of the molecule pulls the electrons less so it gains a slight positive charge.