The shared electrons of the covalent bond are held more tightly at the more electronegative element creating a partial negative charge, while the less electronegative element has a partial positive charge, . The larger the difference in electronegativity between the two atoms, the more polar the bond.

Is electronegativity positive or negative?

The higher its electronegativity, the more an element attracts electrons. The atom with higher electronegativity, typically a nonmetallic element, is assigned a negative oxidation number, while metallic elements are typically assigned positive oxidation numbers.

What is electronegativity negativity?

Electronegativity is a chemical property that describes the tendency of an atom or a functional group to attract electrons toward itself. The electronegativity of an atom is affected by both its atomic number and the distance that its valence electrons reside from the charged nuclei.