Title: The concept of electronegativity of atoms in molecules
Abstract: This chapter discusses the concept of electronegativity of atoms in molecules. Pauling defines the electronegativity of an atom in a molecule generally as "the power of an atom in a molecule to attract electrons to itself." He provided the means for the determination of an atomic electronegativity scale. Systematic calculations of electronegativity values, following the definition of the absolute electronegativity scale as proposed by Mulliken became possible in the late 50th and early 60th, aided by the extensive tabulation of the atomic term values, which were needed for the determination of the valence state promotion energies. The idea to define electronegativity as an electrical potential has been revived within the developments of density functional theory. In the chapter, a derivation of the atomic or molecular chemical potential, identified with the negative of the electronegativity, has been obtained. The definition of the orbital electronegativity for atomic orbitals ready for bonding as an electric potential provides a rationalization for the concept of electronegativity equalization between the two atomic orbitals used to form a localized molecular orbital in bond formation.
Publication Year: 1999
Publication Date: 1999-01-01
Language: en
Type: book-chapter
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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Cited By Count: 12
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