Effects of electronegativity on the bonding on an ionic compound? AgBr

[3vo]

Homework Statement

Use the concepts of electronegativity and polarisation to interpret the bonding in AgBr

Homework Equations

I have always understood electronegativity as the ability of an atom in a molecule to attract a pair of shared electrons towards itself. So this would usually have to be a covalent bond, as electrons would need to shared.

I understand that differences in electronegativity can cause polarization in a covalent molecule, forming a dipole due to the uneven distribution of the shared electrons within the bond. (BTW would this be known as a polarised covalent bond?)

But what impact could electronegativity have on an ionic compound? After all, ionic bonding involves electrons being transferred from a cation to an anion (and does not involve sharing).

Could someone please explain to me how electronegativity could effect the bonding within an ionic compound and what effect it would have on a compound such as AgBr?

 

[Nino MMP]

The AnswerElectronegativity is an important concept in understanding the bonding in AgBr. The difference in electronegativity between silver (1.93) and bromine (2.96) creates a large disparity in how strongly each atom will attract the electrons of the bond. This creates a partially ionic bond, where the electrons are not shared equally between the two atoms, but rather are more heavily attracted to the bromine atom. This results in an unequal charge distribution in the molecule, making it polarised. This polarization of the bond gives rise to the formation of an electrostatic attraction between the positive and negative end of the molecule, resulting in the stable compound that we know as AgBr.