Which element is the most electronegative?

Fluorine is the most electronegative element on the periodic table, which means it has a strong tendency to attract electrons when forming chemical bonds. The concept of electronegativity was introduced by Linus Pauling and is based on an element's ability to attract electrons in a covalent bond.

Fluorine’s high electronegativity is primarily due to its small atomic radius and the effective nuclear charge it experiences. As a halogen located in Group 17 of the periodic table, fluorine has seven valence electrons and requires only one more electron to complete its outer shell. This creates a strong attraction for electrons from other atoms, making fluorine the most electronegative element with an electronegativity value of 4.0 on the Pauling scale.

While other elements like oxygen and chlorine also exhibit high electronegative values, they are not as strong as that of fluorine. Oxygen has an electronegativity of 3.5, and chlorine follows closely with a value of 3.0. Nitrogen, while electronegative, has a lower value of 3.0. Thus, fluorine stands out as the dominant element in terms of its ability to attract electrons.