What is the difference between electronegativity …

Given below are some of the key differences between electronegativity and electron affinity.

1. The property due to which the electron gets attracted to the atom is known as electronegativity. On the other hand, electron affinity is related to the release of energy when an electron gets added to an atom.

2. Electronegativity is qualitative while electron affinity is quantitative.

3. Electronegativity is generally a unitless quantity but is defined in regards to Pauling.  Electron affinity, on the other hand, is measured in kJ/mol.

4. When an element tends to exhibit a stronger attracting ability, the electronegativity of that element is higher. However, electron affinity is higher if the nuclear charge of the element is higher.

5. The value of electronegativity generally lies between 0.7 to 3.98. On the other hand, electron affinity is known to be fixed since the electron releases almost a similar amount of energy when it is added to an atom.

6. The most electronegative element known is fluorine while the element having the highest electron affinity is chlorine.