The capacity of an atom to draw electrons within a chemical bond is termed electronegativity. This property typically rises from left to right across a period and diminishes from top to bottom within a group of the periodic table.
- Sodium (Na), an alkali metal, exhibits low electronegativity.
- Chlorine (Cl), a halogen, possesses high electronegativity, though not the maximum.
- Oxygen (O) demonstrates high electronegativity, yet it is less than that of fluorine.
- Fluorine (F) has the highest electronegativity among all elements, registering 3.98 on the Pauling scale.
Consequently, Fluorine is identified as the element with the highest electronegativity.