Which statement concerning the element fluorine is correct with respect to electronegativity?

• A. Fluorine is less electronegative than nitrogen.
• B. Fluorine has the highest electronegativity of all elements.
• C. Fluorine has a lower electronegativity than oxygen.
• D. Fluorine's electronegativity is equal to that of chlorine.

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Recall the definition of electronegativity: it is the tendency of an atom to attract electrons towards itself when it forms a chemical bond.
2. Understand the general trend of electronegativity in the periodic table: electronegativity increases from left to right across a period and decreases down a group.
3. Locate fluorine on the periodic table: it is in period 2, group 17 (halogens), which is near the top right corner of the table.
4. Compare fluorine's electronegativity to other elements mentioned: nitrogen (group 15), oxygen (group 16), and chlorine (group 17 but in period 3). Since electronegativity increases across a period and decreases down a group, fluorine is more electronegative than nitrogen, oxygen, and chlorine.
5. Conclude that fluorine has the highest electronegativity of all elements, making the statement 'Fluorine has the highest electronegativity of all elements' correct.