Electronegativity Calculator — Bond Polarity & Type
Enter the Pauling electronegativity values of two bonded atoms to find the electronegativity difference (ΔEN) and predict whether the bond is nonpolar covalent, polar covalent or ionic.
ΔEN = |EN₁ − EN₂| — predicts bond polarity and type
- 1
Signed difference EN_high − EN_low
3.44 − 2.2 = 1.24 - 2
ΔEN = |EN₁ − EN₂|
|1.24| = 1.240Absolute value — bond polarity depends on the magnitude, not the sign.
How does this calculator work?
ΔEN = |EN₁ − EN₂| (Pauling scale). ΔEN < 0.4 → nonpolar covalent (e.g. Cl₂); 0.4–1.7 → polar covalent (e.g. H₂O, ΔEN=1.24); ≥ 1.7 → ionic (e.g. NaCl, ΔEN=2.23). Fluorine (3.98) is the most electronegative element; caesium (0.79) the least.
Formula
How this is calculated
Electronegativity (EN) is the tendency of an atom to attract a bonding pair of electrons toward itself. The Pauling scale assigns values from near 0 (the least electronegative, caesium at 0.79) to 3.98 (the most electronegative, fluorine). When two atoms bond, the atom with the higher EN pulls the shared electrons closer, creating a partial charge imbalance called a dipole.
The electronegativity difference ΔEN = |EN₁ − EN₂| predicts the character of the bond. When ΔEN < 0.4 the electrons are shared roughly equally and the bond is nonpolar covalent (e.g. Cl–Cl, ΔEN = 0). When 0.4 ≤ ΔEN < 1.7 the more electronegative atom carries a partial negative charge δ⁻ and the bond is polar covalent (e.g. H–O in water, ΔEN = 1.24; H–Cl, ΔEN = 0.96). When ΔEN ≥ 1.7 the electron density is so lopsided that one atom effectively donates an electron to the other and the bond is ionic (e.g. Na–Cl, ΔEN = 2.23).
These thresholds are conventions on the Pauling scale (first described by Linus Pauling in 1932) and are useful rules of thumb rather than hard physical boundaries. Real bonds exist on a continuous polarity spectrum, and factors such as molecular geometry, resonance and the ionic radii also influence bond character. The values used here follow the IUPAC-recommended Pauling scale (Pauling 1960 revision, as tabulated in the CRC Handbook).
Frequently asked questions
Linus Pauling defined electronegativity in 1932 as the power of an atom in a molecule to attract electrons to itself. He assigned relative values based on bond dissociation energies, anchoring fluorine at 4.0 (later refined to 3.98). The scale is dimensionless; values from the CRC Handbook and IUPAC recommendations are the standard reference.
No — bonding is a continuum. The ΔEN = 1.7 threshold for ionic character is a convention introduced by Pauling; some sources use 1.8 or 2.0. A ΔEN of 1.7 corresponds roughly to 50% ionic character. Most "ionic" salts retain some covalent character, and many polar covalent bonds transfer significant charge density.
The hint field lists Pauling EN values for the 25 most common elements in chemistry. For the full table covering all 118 elements, see the CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics or the IUPAC periodic table resources. Note that noble gases (He, Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe, Rn) have no Pauling EN value — they form almost no stable bonds.
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team. (2026). Electronegativity Calculator — Bond Polarity & Type [Online calculator]. TG we-Calculate. https://we-calculate.com/calculator/electronegativity-calculator
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team. "Electronegativity Calculator — Bond Polarity & Type." TG we-Calculate. 2026. https://we-calculate.com/calculator/electronegativity-calculator.
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team, "Electronegativity Calculator — Bond Polarity & Type," TG we-Calculate, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://we-calculate.com/calculator/electronegativity-calculator
@misc{wecalculate_electronegativity_calculator, title = {Electronegativity Calculator — Bond Polarity & Type}, author = {{TG we-Calculate Editorial Team}}, howpublished = {\url{https://we-calculate.com/calculator/electronegativity-calculator}}, year = {2026}, note = {TG we-Calculate} }
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