Which atom has the greatest attraction for the electrons in a chemical bond?
(1) hydrogen
(2) oxygen
(3) silicon
(4) sulfur
Answer: 2-Oxygen is the correct answer.
Electronegativity is a scale that measures an atom's attraction towards an electron. The more electronegative an atom is, the more it attracts an electron. Electronegativity increases as we go up and from left to right in the periodic table.
Also, on the reference table, Table S, lists all of the electronegativies for all the elements.
Therefore, we can easily compare electronegativities of the atoms present, and determine that Oxygen is most electronegative and therefore has the greatest attraction for the electrons in a chemical bond.