electronegativity
/ɪˌlɛktroʊˌnɛɡəˈtɪvɪti/
noun
- A measure of how strongly an atom attracts electrons when it forms a chemical bond.
- The difference in electronegativity between two atoms determines whether a bond is ionic or covalent.
- Oxygen has a high electronegativity, which is why it pulls electrons in water molecules.
- In chemistry class, we learned that electronegativity increases from left to right across the periodic table.