what is electronagetivity and electropositivity

Question

aaronq · Answer

electronegativity is the tendency ("strength") of an atom to draw an electron towards itself. electropositivity is the opposite of electronegativity.

anonymous · Answer

i would like to support aaronq's reply....in a covalent bond between 2 atoms , if one of the atoms has more capability to attract the SHARED PAIR OF ELECTRONS towards itself, then it is more electronegative than the other atom

aaronq · Answer

you're completely right, i forgot that the definition includes that the electrons need to be in a covalent. medal for you, sir

aaronq · Answer

covalent bond*

anonymous · Answer

thanx for the appreciation....But i have a doubt...can we speak of electronegativity even in an ionic bond?

aaronq · Answer

hmm i've never though of that. I wouldn't think so based on the definition alone.. but you can calculate differences of electronegativity between atom.. Once you exchange electrons though, the electronegativity of the ions change drastically.

anonymous · Answer

so electronegativities change  drastically after electron exchange...thanx for the info,

aaronq · Answer

I mean, if you take a broader definition of electronegativity (as in the attraction of electrons) then yes, it changes a lot. But if you stick to the rigorous definition of electronegativity then it doesn't even make sense. It really depends on what you're talking about. It's all electrostatics.

anonymous · Answer

i wholly agree with you.

anonymous · Answer

@aaronq So electropositive energy is another term for ionisation energy.

anonymous · Answer

@Dolbz Electronegativity is the 'pulling power' of the positive nuclei of atoms to draw electrons (and orbitals) in (from the electron cloud).

anonymous · Answer

@AnthonyStark well in ionic bonding, the non-metal atom would have significantly higher electronegativity than the metal. That leads to transfer of electrons. So we can say that an ionic bond is an extreme polar bond because of the large differences between both nature of atoms which causes total incomplete sharing of electrons- total ownership of the electron by the nonmetal.