Electronegativity Trend Explained in 40s

Added: 2026-05-21

[00:00:00]Electronegativity is how strongly an atom pulls on electrons, and there's a really easy pattern. As you move to the right on the periodic table, electronegativity increases. Why?

[00:00:09]Because the atoms are smaller. The electrons are closer to the nucleus, so the positive nucleus can pull on them more strongly. And you're also adding more protons as you move to the right, so the nucleus has a stronger positive charge pulling on the electrons. Then as you move down a column, electronegativity decreases. That's because the atoms are getting bigger.

[00:00:27]You're adding more energy levels, so the outer electrons are farther away from the nucleus. And when the electrons are farther away, the nucleus can't pull on them as strong anymore. So, smaller atoms have higher electronegativity, and bigger atoms have lower electronegativity.