What does electronegativity indicate about an atom?

• A. Its ability to conduct electricity
• B. Its tendency to attract electrons in a bond
• C. Its mass compared to other atoms
• D. Its atomic size

Answer: (B)

Electronegativity indicates an atom's tendency to attract electrons in a bond. This property is a measure of how strongly an atom can pull or attract electrons towards itself when it is covalently bonded with another atom. Atoms with high electronegativity values have a greater capacity to attract shared electrons, which can lead to the formation of polar bonds if the atoms involved have significantly different electronegativities.

For example, in a molecule like water (H₂O), the oxygen atom, which is more electronegative than hydrogen, pulls the shared electron density closer to itself, resulting in a partial negative charge on the oxygen and partial positive charges on the hydrogens, leading to the molecule's polar character. Understanding electronegativity is crucial for predicting molecular behavior, reactivity, and the nature of chemical bonds.