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Q.What is electronegativity? Explain why halogens possess highest electronegativity.
Assam AhsecAHSEC Higher Secondary (HS) 1st Year Examination 2018Subjective· 3mImportance★★★★★
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Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →Electronegativity measures an atom's pull on bonding electrons; halogens top their periods because of small size, high nuclear charge, and being one electron short of a stable octet.
Electronegativity is defined as the relative tendency of an atom in a molecule to attract the shared pair of electrons of a covalent bond towards itself. Unlike ionization energy or electron affinity, it is not measured for an isolated atom but for an atom as part of a bond, and it has no fixed units (commonly expressed on the Pauling scale).
Why halogens have the highest electronegativity in their period:
- Small atomic size: halogens have the smallest atomic radii among the elements in their respective periods (excluding noble gases), so the nucleus is very close to the bonding electrons and attracts them strongly.
- High effective nuclear charge: halogens have seven valence electrons and a high nuclear charge with relatively poor shielding by other electrons in the same shell, giving a strong net pull on additional/shared electrons. …
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