How is electronegativity difference used in deerming the type of bond that occurs between two atoms?
When you examine a periodic table, you will find that (excluding the noble gases) the electronegativity values tend to increase as you go to the right and up. The reverse statement is that the values tend to decrease going down and to the left. This pattern will help when you are asked to put several bonds in order from most to least ionic without using the values themselves. Electronegativity values are useful in determining if a bond is to be classified as nonpolar covalent, polar covalent or ionic. What you should do is look only at the two atoms in a given bond. Calculate the difference between their electronegativity values. Only the absolute difference is important. I. Nonpolar Covalent: This type of bond occurs when there is equal sharing (between the two atoms) of the electrons in the bond. Molecules such as Cl2, H2 and F2 are the usual examples. Textbooks typically use a maximum difference of 0.2 – 0.5 to indicate nonpolar covalent. Since textbooks vary, make sure to check wit
