Do metals have high electronegativity?

Question

Wyatt Atkins · Accepted Answer

See below...

If you look in the periodic table you could see that the greater the number, the higher the electronegativity is. Metals are located on the left of the periodic table. Non-metals begin at Boron (for academic purposes), but sometimes non-metals begin at Carbon.

However, nonmetals are located on the right of the periodic table starting with Boron then moving down the stairway to Silicon and so forth. If you have your own hard copy of periodic table, draw a line just on the left hand side of Borom and move downwards in a stairway.

To help yourself remember breaking your periodic table up into metals and nonmetals, try using the 'stairway to hell' method starting at Boron.

[Sorry, I couldn't draw it on here. But let me know if you're confused.]

Since non-metals are located on the right hand side of the periodic table starting at Boron and the electronegativity is higher, therefore non metals have higher electronegativity than metals.

Moreover, as you go further right and further up the periodic table, the electronegativty of elements get higher.

Axel Alvarado · Answer

undefined No, the reason why metals have low electronegativity values is usually because they lose electrons more easily than nonmetals do in order to form positive ions. Electronegativity is a measure of an atom's ability to attract and hold onto electrons in a chemical bond.