The attractive force that holds the atoms in a molecule is known as chemical bond.
Electronegativity is a term which was first proposed in 1934 by the American physicist R.S. Mulliken. It is especially useful in explaining the type of the bond occurring between atoms.
Electronegativity is the tendency of an atom to attract the bonding electrons within a compound to itself. It depends upon the nuclear charge (proton number) and the atomic radius of the atom. It is these factors that control the ionisation energy of the atom which in turn is related to the ability of an atom to attract electrons.
Electronegativity does not have a unit. The most widely used electronegativity scale today was derived by Linus Pauling. He used bond energy values in the preparation of this scale. According to this scale the most active metal francium and the most active nonmetal fluorine have electronegativity values of 0.7 and 4.0 respectively.
What are valence electrons?
The number of electrons present in the outermost cloud/shell/orbit of an atom is known as valence electrons.
Describe the ways in which bonds may be formed?
The following may be the possibilities by which an atom forming the bond by another atom.
Electronegativity values of the elements. In the periodic table, electronegativity increases from left to right and from bottom to top.