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How does electronegativity change down the alkali-metal group?
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alkali metal
Modern version of the periodic table of the elements (printable).
In the periodic table, electronegativity—the ability of an atom to attract shared electrons—typically decreases as you move down a group.12
For the alkali metals, this trend holds true: electronegativity values decrease from lithium at the top of the group to francium at the bottom. Specifically, the values on the Pauling scale range from 0.98 for lithium down to 0.7 for francium. As a group, the alkali metals are the least electronegative elements in the periodic table, reflecting their strong tendency to lose their valence electron rather than attract additional ones.31