Electronegativity

The key idea

Electronegativity is a model for an atom’s tendency to attract electron density when it is bonded.

Why it matters

Differences in electronegativity help us reason about bond polarity, but they do not turn bonding into a rigid binary classification.

A picture to remember

Differences in electronegativity help us reason about bond polarity, but they do not turn bonding into a rigid binary classification.