Question

Arrange the following elements in the decreasing order of electronegativity.

• A. Oxygen (O)
• B. Nitrogen (N)
• C. Fluorine (F)
• D. Carbon (C)

Answer 1

The tendency of an atom to attract the shared pair of electrons towards itself is known as electronegativity.

All the given elements belong to the 2nd period. As we move along a period from left to right, the nuclear charge increases and the atomic size decreases. Therefore, the value of electronegativity increases along a period.

Hence, the correct order of electronegativity for the given elements is: F > O > N > C