Which of the following best describes what the electronegativity of an element indicates?

• A. The energy required to remove an electron from a neutral atom.
• B. The tendency of an atom to attract electrons toward itself in a chemical bond.
• C. The number of valence electrons present in an atom.
• D. The ability of an atom to lose electrons and form positive ions.

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand that electronegativity is a property of an atom that describes how strongly it attracts electrons when it forms a chemical bond with another atom.
2. Recognize that electronegativity is different from ionization energy, which is the energy required to remove an electron from a neutral atom.
3. Note that electronegativity is not related to the number of valence electrons directly, but rather to the atom's tendency to pull bonding electrons toward itself.
4. Distinguish electronegativity from the ability of an atom to lose electrons and form positive ions, which relates more to metallic character and ionization energy.
5. Conclude that the best description of electronegativity is 'the tendency of an atom to attract electrons toward itself in a chemical bond.'