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Arrange the following elements in increasing order of electronegativity: N, O, F, C, Si Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
FON Cl N Br I C S H P Si! Flourine is king (4.0), Oxygen is 3.5, Nitrogen is 3.0, Carbon is 2.5, Silicon is 1.8 -> Si < C < N < O < F!
Electronegativity is the qualitative measure of an atom’s ability in a chemical compound to attract shared electrons towards itself. Across a period, increasing effective nuclear charge and decreasing atomic radius attract valence electrons more strongly. Down a group, increased shielding and greater atomic radius reduce electronegativity.
On the Pauling electronegativity scale: - Silicon (Si, Period 3, Group 14): χ = 1.8 - Carbon (C, Period 2, Group 14): χ = 2.5 - Nitrogen (N, Period 2, Group 15): χ = 3.0 - Oxygen (O, Period 2, Group 16): χ = 3.5 - Fluorine (F, Period 2, Group 17): χ = 4.0 (most electronegative element in the periodic table)
Arranging in strictly increasing order yields: Si < C < N < O < F, perfectly matching Option (3).
Diagnose every choice: Know exactly why the right option works and why distractors fail.
Completely inverted and chaotic order.
Completely reverses the order (decreasing instead of increasing).
Exact monotonic increasing order based on Pauling values (1.8 < 2.5 < 3.0 < 3.5 < 4.0).
Inverts nitrogen and oxygen.
Option (2) gives F > O > N > C > Si in reverse order. Always verify the inequality signs: "increasing" requires the smallest on the left (<).
"Electronegativity increases across a period from left to right and decreases down a group; Fluorine is the most electronegative element."
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