Electronegativity trends across and down

4 minAS Level3.1.23.1.3

AI-drafted, independently checked · not yet teacher-reviewed

By the end of this lesson

By the end you can state the trends in electronegativity across a period and down a group, and explain them using nuclear charge, atomic radius and shielding.

Head for the top right

Two arrows run the whole show:

Across a period (left to right): electronegativity increases.
Down a group: electronegativity decreases.

So the champion sits at the top right: fluorine, 4.0. The weakest pullers sit at the bottom left, like caesium.

Up and to the right means more electronegative. (Groups 13 to 16 are shown for periods 2 and 3 only.)

Quick check

Multiple choiceQuestion 1 · Recall

Fill in the blanksQuestion 2 · Recall

Answer the 2 questions above to continue.