What is the Difference Between Electronegativity and Polarity?
🆚 Go to Comparative Table 🆚The main difference between electronegativity and polarity lies in their definitions and the properties they describe.
Electronegativity refers to the tendency of an atom to attract electrons (or electron density) in a covalent bond. It is a measure of how strongly an atom attracts the electrons in its bonds. Electronegativity values are determined by the difference in electronegativity between two atoms in a bond. A smaller difference indicates a weaker attraction, while a larger difference indicates a stronger attraction.
Polarity refers to the distribution of electric charge in a molecule. It is determined by the arrangement of atoms and their electronegativities in a molecule. In a polar covalent bond, the electrons are shifted toward the more electronegative atom, resulting in a partial negative charge on the more electronegative atom and a partial positive charge on the less electronegative atom.
In summary, electronegativity is a property that describes an atom's tendency to attract electrons, while polarity refers to the distribution of electric charge in a molecule. The difference in electronegativity between two atoms determines the polarity of the bond between them.
Some key points to remember:
- Electronegativity is a property that describes an atom's tendency to attract electrons.
- Polarity refers to the distribution of electric charge in a molecule.
- The difference in electronegativity between two atoms determines the polarity of the bond between them.
Comparative Table: Electronegativity vs Polarity
Electronegativity and polarity are related concepts in chemistry. Here is a table summarizing the differences between them:
| Property | Electronegativity | Polarity |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | The ability of an atom in a molecule to attract a shared electron pair. | The presence of an electric dipole across a covalent bond due to the unequal sharing of electrons. |
| Type of bond | Can be covalent, polar covalent, or ionic. | Can be nonpolar, polar covalent, or ionic. |
| Electron sharing | Electrons are shared unequally between atoms. | Electrons are shared equally between atoms in nonpolar bonds and unequally in polar covalent bonds. |
| Factors determining | Electronegativity difference between two atoms making the bond. | Difference in electronegativity between two atoms determines how polar the bond will be. |
| Effect on bond character | As the electronegativity difference increases between two atoms, the bond becomes more ionic. | As the electronegativity difference increases, the bond becomes more polar covalent and eventually ionic. |
In general, the polarity of a covalent bond can be judged by determining the electronegativity difference between the two atoms making the bond. The greater the difference, the more polar the bond.
- Electropositive vs Electronegative
- Electronegativity vs Electron Affinity
- Electronegativity vs Ionization Energy
- Polar vs Nonpolar
- Polarizability vs Dipole Moment
- Polar vs Dipolar Molecules
- Covalent vs Polar Covalent
- Electrovalency vs Covalency
- Polar vs Nonpolar Covalent Bonds
- Electropositive vs Electronegative Radicals
- Polar Bonds vs Polar Molecules
- Nucleophile vs Electrophile
- Valency vs Valence Electrons
- Electric Dipole vs Magnetic Dipole
- Ion Dipole vs Dipole Dipole Forces
- Polarizable vs Non Polarizable Electrode
- Ions vs Electrons
- Nucleophilicity vs Basicity
- Dipole Dipole Interactions vs Hydrogen Bonding