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Kemal Deen Pallie

Between oxygen and sulphur, which has more electronegative elements, and why?

Connie Francisco  Follow

Oxygen’s electronegativity is 3.5 while sulfur’s electronegativity is 2.5.

Sulfur is the element below oxygen in the chalcogen family. Both elements are non-metals. In the Periodic Table. In general non-metal activity decreases down the family.

Oxygen is element 8. It has 8 protons in its nucleus. Its ground state configuration of 1s2 2s2 2p4 means that its outermost electrons feel an effective nuclear charge of roughly +4.

Sulfur is element 16. It has 16 protons in its nucleus, Its ground state configuration is 1s2 2s2 2s6 3s2 3p4. Its outermost electrons feel an effective nuclear charge roughly the same as the effective nuclear charge of the outermost electrons in oxygen (+4) but the sulfur atom is bigger than the oxygen atom and electrons being added to sulfur will, on average, be further from the nucleus than additional electrons in oxygen would be. Thus. sulfur has a lower ability to control bonded electrons; hence, the lower electronegativity of S versus O.

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Andrew Ng  Follow

Here is a Periodic Table with electronegativities determined by the Pauling method: Electronegativity - Wikipedia O has a value of 3.44. S is 2.58. The only element more electronegative than O is F 3.98.

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