Electronegativity Difference and Bond Character

Covalent bond - a shared pair of electrons between two atoms

Electronegativity - the ability of an atom to attract electrons in a covalent bond.
Electronegativity Difference, E = E1-E2,
For example, each H—–O bond in H2O has: E = EO - EH
E = 3.44 - 2.10
E = 1.44
As the electronegativity difference grows from 0.00 to >3.0, the sharing of electrons becomes more skewed. First
one atom becomes partially negative while the other becomes partially positive and the bond is polarized, polar
covalent bond. Then as the sharing becomes more and more unequal, the electrons reside only on one atom. The
atoms are now ionized (+ or -), and the bond is called ionic. This is shown in Table 1.
Table 1
Electronegativity
0.00 0.65 0.94 1.19 1.43 1.67 1.91 2.19 2.54 3.03
Difference, E
Percent Ionic Character 0% 10 % 20 % 30 % 40 % 50 % 60 % 70 % 80 % 90 %
Percent Covalent
100 % 90 % 80 % 70 % 60 % 50 % 40 % 30 % 20 % 10 %
Character
For a shared pair of electrons, if one atom is able to attract the electrons to itself (more electronegative) that
atom will begin to become negatively charged, -, (a negative pole) while the other atom begins to become
positively charge, +, (a positive pole). The two atoms become a dipole (meaning 2 poles), and the bond will
become a polar covalent bond. [see Table 2]
If the difference in attracting the electrons, E, is so great, then one atom may just take the electrons for
itself. This stops any sharing of electrons, and the bond is an ionic bond. The atom that took the electrons is the
anion (negative), and the atom that lost the electrons is the cation (positive). [see Table 2]
If the difference in attracting the electrons, E, is very small, then the sharing remains relatively equal and no
charges develop. No developed charges means there are no pole, which makes the bond a nonpolar covalent bond. In
the special case that the electronegativity difference, E, is zero, then no atom attracts the electrons to itself and the
sharing is perfectly equal. Such a bond is called a pure covalent bond and is nonpolar also. [see Table 2]
Table 2
Electronegativity Difference, E Polarity Bond Type
E = 0.00 nonpolar pure covalent
0.00 < E < 0.65 nonpolar covalent
0.65 < E < 1.67 polar covalent
1.67 < E ionic
More on Dipoles
 An electric dipole consists of two opposite charges that are the same magnitude and separated in space.
 Unequal sharing of electrons (E > 0) results in one end of the bond being negative and one end being
positive. This is a dipole (2 poles, one negative, one positive)
 The atom with the greater electronegativity becomes partially negative, -,
 The atom with the smaller electronegativity becomes partially positive, +.
 Drawing an arrow from + to - shows the electric field between the charges.

Practice Problem: Hydrogen fluoride, HF

o Draw the Lewis Structure
o Determine the polarity and bond type for each bond.
o Draw the dipole for each bond.
HF, would be written as H—– F
Since E = 1.10, the bond is polar covalent. E = 3.98 - 2.10 = 1.10}
F has the greater electronegative so it is partially negative, -, and H with the smaller electronegativity is
partially positive, +. So on your structure you should draw the following dipole
Final Answer: H —– F
+ → - polar covalent
 Determining the Type of Bond
Name: Physical Science
Year: Date: Ludivino E. Escarda, MST – SciEd (CAR)

Directions For each formula, • draw the Lewis Structure (2 pts. each)
• determine the bond type (3 pts. each)
• draw the dipole. (3 pts. each)

1. CBr4

2. CH3SH

3. PH3

4. K2O

5. HCl

6. CH2O
 Determining the Type of Bond

II. Multiple Choice: Encircle the correct answer. (2 points)

1. Which of the following has bonds which are the least ionic?
a) CCl4 b) SiO2 c) KCl d) NH3 e) H2

2. What type of bonding occurs between phosphorus and hydrogen within a molecule of PH3?
a) ionic b) covalent c) hydrogen bonding d) LDF’s

3. Which of the following are non-polar molecules?

a) F2 b) O2 c) CH4 d) CO2 e) all of these

4. In which pair do both compounds exhibit ionic bonding?

a) SO2, HCl b) KNO3, CH4 c) NaF, K2SO4 d) KCl, CO2 e) NaCl, H2O

5. Electrons are transferred from one element to another in a…

a) polar covalent bond b) non-polar covalent bond c) ionic bond d) all of these

6. Which of the following molecules possesses a dipole moment?

a) BI3 b) BrF3 c) PCl3 d) a & b e) b & c

III. Lewis Dot Structures

Using dot diagrams, show how atoms of calcium and nitrogen would form an ionic bond. (5 points)