This area chart displays Pauling electronegativity values across the periodic table. Electronegativity measures an atom's ability to attract shared electrons in a chemical bond.

Fluorine has the highest electronegativity (3.98), making it the most aggressive electron attractor and explaining its extreme reactivity. The trend increases rightward and upward in the periodic table (excluding noble gases). The electronegativity difference between bonded atoms determines bond polarity: similar values yield covalent bonds, while large differences create ionic bonds.