Going from fluorine to chlorine, bromine and iodine, the electronegativity

Options

A. Increases
B. Decreases
C. First decreases then increases
D. Changes randomly

Explanation

To determine the trend in electronegativity from fluorine to chlorine, bromine, and iodine, we can follow these steps:

### Step 1: Understand Electronegativity
Electronegativity is a measure of the tendency of an atom to attract a bonding pair of electrons. It is a key concept in understanding how atoms interact in chemical bonds.

**Hint:** Remember that electronegativity values are assigned based on a scale, typically the Pauling scale, where higher values indicate a stronger ability to attract electrons.

### Step 2: Identify the Elements
The elements in question are:
- Fluorine (F)
- Chlorine (Cl)
- Bromine (Br)
- Iodine (I)

**Hint:** Familiarize yourself with the position of these elements in the periodic table, as their placement will help you understand the trends in electronegativity.

### Step 3: Analyze the Position in the Periodic Table
Fluorine is located at the top of Group 17 (the halogens), followed by chlorine, bromine, and iodine as you move down the group.

**Hint:** Recall that in the periodic table, electronegativity generally increases from left to right across a period and decreases from top to bottom within a group.

### Step 4: Determine the Electronegativity Values
The electronegativity values for these halogens are approximately:
- Fluorine (F): 4.0
- Chlorine (Cl): 3.0
- Bromine (Br): 2.8
- Iodine (I): 2.5

**Hint:** Look up the electronegativity values for these elements to confirm their relative strengths.

### Step 5: Establish the Trend
From the values, we can see that as we move from fluorine to iodine, the electronegativity decreases. Therefore, the order of electronegativity for these halogens is:
**Fluorine > Chlorine > Bromine > Iodine**

**Hint:** Remember that the trend reflects the ability of the atom to attract electrons, which decreases as the size of the atom increases down the group.

### Conclusion
The electronegativity decreases from fluorine to chlorine, bromine, and iodine, following the order:
**Fluorine (4.0) > Chlorine (3.0) > Bromine (2.8) > Iodine (2.5)**