Electronegativity

Electronegativity and Prediction of Bond Type

Electronegativity is the measure of an atom's ability to attract the shared pair of electrons in a covalent bond.

Electronegativity values can help determine whether a bond is non-polar covalent, polar covalent, or ionic:

If the electronegativity difference is zero, the bond is non-polar covalent (pure covalent), with electrons shared equally between the atoms.
If the electronegativity difference is between 0 and 1.7, the bond is polar covalent, where electrons are shared unequally, creating a dipole (e.g., $HCl$ ).
If the electronegativity difference is greater than 1.7, the bond is ionic, where electrons are fully transferred from one atom to another (e.g., $NaCl$ ).

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Example: In $HCl$ , chlorine has a higher electronegativity than hydrogen, causing an unequal sharing of electrons, making the bond polar.

Electronegativity Values of the Elements (Pauling Scale)

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