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What do electronegativity values represent?

Answer 1

Electronegativity is conceived to be the ability of an atom in a chemical bond to polarize electron density towards itself.

There are various scales, of which the Pauling Scale is the earliest, and most widely used. Pauling drew his values from ionization enthalpies, atomic size, and electron affinities. He then jiggered around with the parameters until he got a scale that had simple numbers that fell between the #0-4# range.

Electronegativities decrease DOWN a Group. Why? Given the definitions, it makes sense that they increase ACROSS a Period (from left to right as you face the table) due to an increase in nuclear charge.

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Answer 2

Zoe Alexander

Electronegativity values represent the relative ability of an atom to attract electrons in a chemical bond.

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Answer from HIX Tutor

When evaluating a one-sided limit, you need to be careful when a quantity is approaching zero since its sign is different depending on which way it is approaching zero from. Let us look at some examples.