Summary:
- Electronegativity is defined as the ability of an atom to attract electrons when the atoms are in a compound.
- The degree to which a given bond is ionic or covalent is determined by calculating the difference in electronegativity between the two atoms involved in the bond.
- A bond in which the electr onegativity difference between the atoms is between 0.4 and 1.7 is called a polar covalents bond.
- In a non-polar covalented bond, the distribution of electrons around the molecule is no longer symmetrical.