Some compounds and their nature are shown in table complete the table by finding out the electron negativity difference between the constituent elements.
| Compounds |
Difference in electronegativity of constiuent elements |
Nature of the compound |
| Carbon monoxide (CO) |
3.44 - 2. 55 = 0.89 |
Covalent bond |
| Sodium chloride (Nacl) |
3.16 - 0.98 = 2.23 |
Ionic bond |
| Methane (CH4) |
2.55 - 2.20 = 0.35 |
Covalent bond |
| Magnesium chloride (MgCl2) |
3.16 - 1.31 |
Ionic bond |
| Sodium oxide (Na2O) |
3.44 - 0.93 = 2.51 |
Ionic bond |
Generally, the electronegativity difference of the component elements in a compound is 1.7 or more it shows ionic character. If it is less than 1.7 it shows covalent character
