Mulliken Electronegativities

Mulliken electronegativities are a way to measure how strongly an atom attracts shared electrons when it forms a chemical bond. This concept combines the atom's ionization energy (how much energy it takes to remove an electron) and its electron affinity (how much energy is released when it gains an electron). By averaging these two values, Mulliken assigned each element a number indicating its tendency to attract electrons. Higher Mulliken electronegativities mean the atom pulls shared electrons closer, influencing the bonding behavior and the properties of molecules they form.