Question

Why are nonmetals electronegative in nature?

Answer 1

Electronegativity: It can be defined as the tendency to attract the shared pair of electrons towards itself.

• Non-metals are electronegative in nature. They contain 4 to 8 electrons in their outermost shell. As a result, they have tendency to accept or gain electrons to complete their octet.
• Non-metals are formed as follows:$\underset{(\mathrm{Non}\mathrm{metal}\mathrm{element})}{\mathrm{X}}+\underset{\left(\mathrm{Electrons}\right)}{{\mathrm{ne}}^{-}}\to \underset{\left(\mathrm{Anoin}\right)}{{\mathrm{X}}^{\mathrm{n}-}}$
• Therefore, the nonmetals are electronegative in nature, due to their tendency to gain electrons.