Paulingelectronegativiteitswaarden

The Pauling electronegativity scale is a widely used, empirical measure of an element’s tendency to attract electrons in a chemical bond. Developed by Linus Pauling in the 1930s, the scale assigns a dimensionless number to each element, reflecting its relative ability to attract shared electrons. Fluorine is placed at the top of the scale as the most electronegative element, while elements such as cesium or francium sit at the lower end. Hydrogen is given a value around 2.2, and many nonmetals lie in the mid to upper range. The numbers are not an intrinsic property in isolation but a relative, compositional estimate that depends on bonded environments.

Derivation and interpretation: Pauling derived the values from differences in bond dissociation energies between heteronuclear and homonuclear bonds, using these differences to infer how strongly an atom pulls electrons in a bond. The greater the difference in bond energies between X–Y and the average X–X and Y–Y bonds, the higher the inferred electronegativity difference between X and Y. The scale is primarily used to predict bond polarity, the degree of ionic character in bonds, and to guide qualitative assessments of reactivity and molecular structure.

Uses and limitations: The scale remains a standard reference in inorganic and organic chemistry for estimating bond character and reactivity. It is most reliable for main-group elements; for transition metals and in complex or highly correlated environments, electronegativity assignments should be used with caution. The Pauling scale is one of several approaches to electronegativity, with others offering complementary perspectives on electronic structure.