Pauling's theory of electronegativity

Linus Pauling's theory of electronegativity describes how strongly an atom attracts electrons toward itself within a chemical bond. Elements vary in electronegativity; for example, fluorine is highly electronegative, pulling shared electrons toward itself, while cesium is less so. Pauling quantified this tendency using a scale based on differences in bond energies, allowing prediction of bond type—ionic or covalent. Essentially, electronegativity helps explain why atoms form certain types of chemical bonds and how they interact in compounds, playing a key role in understanding molecular structure and reactivity.