How does the trend of electronegativity relate to whether an element is a metal or a non-metal?

Question

Henry Antrim · Accepted Answer

Electonegativity increases ACROSS a Period, and decreases DOWN a Group. It follows that metals should be NOT be very electronegative.

The ability of an atom in a chemical bond to polarize electron density towards itself is thought to be the definition of electronegativity. This is a fabricated concept rather than a measured parameter because there are several scales for measuring electronegativity, the most well-known of which is the Pauling scale, which places the most electronegative atoms—oxygen and fluorine, for example—to the right of the Periodic Table (I will not be discussing the Noble Gases here). The least electronegative atoms are those metals to the left of the Periodic Table: the alkali and alkaline earth metals, whose electronegativity is so poor that they readily lose electrons to form #M^+# and #M^(2+)# ions.

Olivia Anton · Answer

undefined The trend of electronegativity generally increases across a period from left to right on the periodic table and decreases down a group from top to bottom. Metals tend to have lower electronegativities, while non-metals have higher electronegativities. Therefore, elements with higher electronegativities are more likely to be non-metals, while elements with lower electronegativities are more likely to be metals.