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Electronegativity and Bond Polarity – Answers

Electronegativity is a measure of the relative tendency of an to attract a bonding pair of . The Linus Pauling assigned electronegativity values to the chemical elements on an arbitrary scale from 0.0 – 4.0, 0.0 being the least electronegative and 4.0 the most electronegative. The electronegativity values of the first 36 chemical elements are given in the below:

1 2 13 14 15 16 17 18

H He 1

2.1 –

Li Be C N O F Ne 2

1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 – Na Mg Al Si P S Cl Ar 3 0.9 1.2 1.5 1.8 2.1 2.5 3.0 – Ca Sc Ti V Cr Mn Fe Co Ni Cu Zn Ga Ge As Se Br Kr 4 0.8 1.0 1.3 1.5 1.6 1.6 1.5 1.8 1.8 1.8 1.9 1.6 1.6 1.8 2.0 2.4 2.8 –

Question 1: Why are no electronegativity values assigned to the Nobel in Group 18? By definition, electronegativity is the relative tendency of an atom to attract a bonding pair of electrons. However, the Noble Gases are relatively unreactive and do not combine with other chemical elements to form that contain a bonding pair of electrons. It is therefore impossible to determine the relative tendency / ability of a Noble to attract a bonding pair of electrons.

Question 2: How do the electronegativity values of the chemical elements change across a Period? Use your knowledge of atomic structure to explain this trend. Electronegativity values increase from the left-hand-side to right-hand-side of a Period. Moving across a Period, there is a steady increase in the number of in the nuclei of the of each chemical element. As the positive nuclear charge increases, so the electrostatic force of attraction between the nucleus and bonding pair of electrons in the shell of the atom also increases, pulling the bonding pair of electrons closer to the nucleus of the atom.

1 Question 3: How do the electronegativity values of the chemical elements change down a Group? Use your knowledge of atomic structure to explain this trend. Moving down a Group, there is an increase in nuclear charge, but this is offset by an increase in shielding effect. More importantly, moving down a Group, the bonding pair of electrons are increasingly further from the nucleus of the atom, hence the electrostatic force of attraction between the nucleus and bonding pair of electrons becomes weaker down the Group.

So, why is electronegativity important? A knowledge of electronegativity allows to explain the existence of polar bonds in certain covalent compounds. For example, consider a of the compound fluoride. In this molecule, an atom of hydrogen (electronegativity value of 2.1) is covalently bonded to an atom of (electronegativity value of 4.0): 2.1 H F 4.0

The fluorine atom is much more electronegative than the and so has a greater tendency to attract the pair of bonding electrons that are shared between the two atoms. Because the pair of negatively charged bonding electrons are closer to the fluorine atom than to the hydrogen atom, the fluorine atom gains a permanent slight negative charge (written –, pronounced delta negative) while the hydrogen atom gains a permanent slight positive charge (written +, pronounced delta positive): + –

Note: As a general rule, bond polarity will only be significant if there is a difference of 0.5 or more between the electronegativity values of the two elements that are covalently bonded together.

2 Question 4: By referring to the electronegativity values given on page 1, indicate which bonds in the following molecules are polar by writing + and – next to the appropriate atoms:

b) Ammonia a)

c) Methanol d) Ethanoic

So, why is bond polarity important? You may have noticed that polar bonds tend to occur when a hydrogen atom is covalently bonded to an atom of a more electronegative element, such as , or fluorine. The permanently charged regions of this polar bond will attract towards oppositely charged regions of a second polar bond, forming a special intermolecular force of attraction known as a hydrogen bond. Hydrogen bonds are normally represented by a dashed line drawn between the hydrogen atom of one polar bond and the nitrogen / oxygen / fluorine of the second polar bond. For example, the diagram below shows a hydrogen bond between two water molecules: − H+ + O + H H O−

H+ Hydrogen bonding explains why water is a at room temperature and pressure as opposed to being a gas. Hydrogen bonding is also extremely important in determining the shapes of complex biological molecules, such as and DNA.

3 Question 5:

Draw a molecule of methanol, CH3OH, and at least one molecule of water. Use + and – to indicate the bond polarity within the molecules and then draw dashed lines to clearly show any hydrogen bonds that might exist between them.

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