13 Facts on Bromine Electronegativity & Ionization Energy

Bromine (Br) is a halogen with atomic number 35 & atomic mass of 79.904 u. Let us go through some salient properties of Br in the below article.

The electronegativity value for Br is 2.96 and has a mediocre value for ionization energy. Br is one of the most reactive elements. Br is a red-brown liquid that is volatile in nature. Solid Br crystallizes in an orthorhombic crystal structure.

Br has two known stable isotopes. In this article, we will venture through some crucial properties of Br such as electronegativity, and ionization energy and we will also study the comparison of electronegativity and ionization energy of Br with other elements.

Chlorine and Bromine electronegativity

Chlorine is more electronegative than Br, the comparison between the two is as follows:

Electronegativity of BromineElectronegativity of ChlorineRationale
2.963.16Chlorine is more electronegative than Br because Chlorine lies in the third period and Br is fourth.
As we move down the group there’s a decrease in electronegativity value due to the increase in atomic size and decrease in effective nuclear charge.
Comparison of Chlorine and Bromine electronegativity

Cobalt and Bromine electronegativity

Cobalt has an electronegativity value of 1.88 due it being a transition metal, the comparison is as follows:

Electronegativity of BromineElectronegativity of CobaltRationale
2.961.88Cobalt is less electronegative than Br because Cobalt has free agile d-orbital electrons.
As it belongs to transition elements it is electropositive in nature making it easy to release electrons.
Comparison of Cobalt and Bromine electronegativity

Fluorine and Bromine electronegativity

Fluorine has the highest electronegativity value among all the elements in the periodic table, the comparison for electronegativity of Fluorine and Br is as follows:

Electronegativity of BromineElectronegativity of FluorineRationale
2.963.98Fluorine has high value for electronegativity than Br because As we move down the group from Fluorine to Br the atomic size increases and the effective nuclear charge decreases. Fluorine is smaller in size as compared to Br. In Fluorine the electrons are closer to the positively charged nucleus due to its small size.
Comparison of Fluorine and Bromine electronegativity

Lithium and Bromine electronegativity

The comparison between the electronegativity of Lithium and Br is as follows:

Electronegativity of BromineElectronegativity of LithiumRationale
2.960.98Lithium is less electronegative than Br because Lithium has one electron in its outermost s orbital. Lithium tries to lose its outermost electron to achieve a stable configuration which in turn makes it electropositive.
Comparison between Lithium and Bromine electronegativity

Copper and Bromine electronegativity

Copper is less electronegative than Br, the comparison drawn is as follows:

Electronegativity of BromineElectronegativity of CopperRationale
2.961.90Copper has less value electronegativity than Br because Copper belongs to transition metals and It has free-flowing electrons in its d-orbital which it loses readily making Copper electropositive.
Comparison of Copper and Bromine electronegativity

Potassium and Bromine electronegativity

Potassium shows a lower value for electronegativity value among alkali metals. The difference in electronegativity between Br and Potassium is 2.14. The comparison between the two is as follows:

Electronegativity of BromineElectronegativity of PotassiumRationale
2.960.82Potassium has less value electronegativity than Br because Potassium has the tendency to lose electrons and form a cation. Because the group atomic size increases the pull of the positive nucleus on the electron density decreases. It makes Potassium susceptible to losing electrons and becoming a cation.
Comparison of Potassium and Bromine electronegativity

Sodium and Bromine electronegativity

Sodium has relatively less value for electronegativity as compared to Br. The comparison is given below:

Electronegativity of BromineElectronegativity of SodiumRationale
2.960.93Sodium has lower value electronegativity than Br because Sodium has a relatively larger atomic size and comparatively fewer protons in the nucleus. Due to this the effective nuclear charge on the outermost electrons is the least.
Comparison of Sodium and Bromine electronegativity

Bromine and Oxygen electronegativity

Oxygen is more electronegative than Br. The Electronegativity difference between the two is 0.48. Oxygen is the second most electronegative element in the periodic table. We will see the comparison in the table below:

Electronegativity of BromineElectronegativity of OxygenRationale
2.963.44Oxygen is more highly electronegative than Br since the atomic radius of Oxygen is less as compared to Br. Its bonding electrons in the outermost p orbital experience high intensity of nuclear attraction hence making Oxygen highly electronegative.
Comparison of Bromine and Oxygen electronegativity

Bromine ionization energy

The ionization energy values for Br are as mentioned below:

  • The first ionization energy value (Ionization Potential) for Br is 1139.9 kJ.mol-1 (11.399 eV) as we are removing electrons from the outermost 4p orbital.
  • The second ionization energy value is slightly higher about 2103 kJ.mol-1 (21.03 eV) because we must remove the electron-positive Br atom.
  • The third ionization energy value is the highest among the three about 3470 kJ.mol-1 (34.70 eV).

Bromine ionization energy graph

The ionization energy graph for Br i.e., ionization enthalpy versus ionization energy can be illustrated as follows:

Br ionization graph
Graphical representation of ionization energy graph for Bromine

Bromine and Fluorine ionization energy

The ionization energy for Fluorine is 1681.0 kJ.mol-1 (16.810 eV), Let us see the comparison in the following chart:

Ionization energy of BromineIonization energy of FluorineRationale
1139.9 kJ.mol-1 (11.399 eV)1681.0 kJ.mol-1 (16.810 eV)Fluorine has first ionization energy value higher than Br because valence electrons in Fluorine’s outermost p orbital experience attraction from its positively charged nucleus. Since Fluorine has only two energy levels there’s no significant shielding effect.
Comparison of Bromine and Fluorine ionization energy

Bromine and Arsenic ionization energy

Compared to Br, the ionization energy for Arsenic is significantly low, the comparison is as follows:

Ionization energy of BromineIonization energy of ArsenicRationale
1139.9 kJ.mol-1 (11.399 eV)947.0 kJ.mol-1 (9.470 eV)Arsenic has a lower ionization energy value because the atomic radius of Arsenic is greater (114 pm) than Br (94 pm). Due to this the outermost electrons in the valence shell of Arsenic are loosely bound experiencing less nuclear charge.
Comparison of Bromine and Arsenic ionization energy

Bromine and Selenium ionization energy

Selenium has lower ionization energy than Br. Selenium shares similarities with Arsenic. Selenium has an ionization energy value of 941.0 kJ.mol-1 (9.410 eV). The comparison of Selenium with Br is as follows:

Ionization energy of BromineIonization energy of SeleniumRationale
1139.9 kJ.mol-1 (11.399 eV)941.0 kJ.mol-1 (9.410 eV)Selenium has a lower ionization energy value because the atomic radius of Selenium is greater (120 pm) than Br (94 pm). Because of this electron density of Selenium encounters less attraction from the positive nucleus.
Comparison of Bromine and Selenium ionization energy

Bromine and Calcium ionization energy

Calcium possesses a lower value for ionization energy than Br. The comparison is given in the table below:

Ionization energy of BromineIonization energy of CalciumRationale
1139.9 kJ.mol-1 (11.399 eV)589.8 kJ.mol-1 (5.898 eV)As compared to Br, Calcium is more electropositive making it easier to remove its outermost electron from the 4s orbital.
Comparison of Bromine and Calcium ionization energy

Conclusion:

Br reacts spontaneously due to its high electronegative nature. It is necessary to learn about the electronegativity and ionization energy value of an atom to study its reaction path and overall nature. Bond energies for Br are lower than Chlorine but higher than Iodine.