Refer to Figure 9.10 to estimate the percent ionic character of the BrF bond.

Key Concepts

Ionic Character

Ionic character refers to the degree to which a bond between two atoms exhibits ionic properties, as opposed to covalent properties. It is influenced by the difference in electronegativity between the two atoms involved in the bond. A higher ionic character indicates that the bond has more ionic characteristics, such as the transfer of electrons from one atom to another, leading to the formation of charged ions.

Electronegativity Difference

Electronegativity is a measure of an atom's ability to attract and hold onto electrons in a bond. The electronegativity difference between two bonded atoms can help predict the bond type: a small difference typically indicates a covalent bond, while a large difference suggests an ionic bond. The scatter plot in the question illustrates how the percent ionic character of various compounds correlates with their electronegativity differences.

Percent Ionic Character Calculation

Percent ionic character can be estimated using empirical data that correlates electronegativity differences with observed ionic character in compounds. The scatter plot provides a visual representation of this relationship, allowing one to estimate the ionic character of a specific bond, such as BrF, by locating its electronegativity difference on the x-axis and determining the corresponding value on the y-axis.