Question

What is the difference in electronegativity between carbon and nitrogen?

Answer 1

Electronegativity: “A qualitative measure of the ability of an atom in a chemical compound to attract shared electrons to itself is called electronegativity.”

Trend in electronegativity:

• Ongoing left to right in a period, the atomic radius decreases as the attraction between the nucleus and the valence(or outer)electrons increases. So, the electronegativity also increases.
• So, the electronegativity of Nitrogen is more as compared to carbon.

Difference in electronegativity between carbon and nitrogen

• The electronegativity of carbon is $2.5$.
• The electronegativity of nitrogen is $3$.
• The difference in electronegativity between carbon and nitrogen is $3-2.5=0.5$.

Hence, the difference in the electronegativity of carbon and nitrogen is 0.5