Why does electronegativity change?

Answer 1

Electronegativity changes from atom to atom because the force between the protons in the nucleus and the electrons in the outer shell changes from atom to atom. This changes because as you move from left to right on the Periodic Table each additional electron added is not dignificantly farther away from the nucleus but the charge in the nucleus increases so it attracts that electon with a greater force.

As you move from the top to bottom of the periodic table the electronegativity decreases because as you move from one period down to the next the energy levels of the outer electrons increase, and so does their distance from the nucleus. The farther away the electron from the protons the less force there is between them.

Answer 2

Electronegitivity depends on atomic radius. The protons in a nucleus of an atom of a large atomic radius will have more difficulty attracting electrons than an atom of a small radius. This is because the farther away the nucleus is from electrons, the less attraction (and electronegitivity) it has.

Answer 3

Electronegativity is influenced by factors such as the number of protons in an atom's nucleus, the distance between the nucleus and the valence electrons, and the shielding effect of inner electron shells. As these factors change, the electronegativity of an element can also change.

Answer 4

Electronegativity decreases as you move down a group, the atoms are getting larger with more shielding, so there is less of an ability for it to attract electrons.

Answer 5

Electronegativity is a measure of the chemical reactivity; see a table at the link below.