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chem 2 question on electronegativty and bond polarity!

Can anyone tackle this?
How, if at all, does the decrease in electronegativity from fluorine to iodine affect the polarity of the bond between two identical halogen atoms in a halogen molecule? Explain your answer

Would it decrease the bond polarity because the less electronegative the halogen atom, the less it will attract electron density towards itself and the less negative it will become, and the less positive the bonding atom will be in comparison?

Something along those lines?

How would you word it?

Reply 1

Pigster

"between two identical halogen atoms"

Reply 2

wednesday_adams

Original post by Pigster

"between two identical halogen atoms"

Reply 3

wednesday_adams

Original post by Pigster

"between two identical halogen atoms"

in that case, i have no idea

Reply 4

JJL10

Fluorine is the most electronegative.
Not entirely sure what the question wants(it seems strangely worded to me)

So the bond polarity in the Fluorine molecule would be tilted so the electron cloud shifted more to the flourine.
On iodine the same thing happens but to a lesser extent?

If the two molecules are interacting/near each other the more electronegative fluorine would again distort both electron density clouds towards it, but to a lesser extent from the iodine bond?

As I said I'm not entirely clear on the wording of the question what answer it wants, but hopefully one of the above may help you to clarify the question if not solve it

Reply 5

wednesday_adams

Original post by haemo

Surely if the halogens are identical (symmetrical), there's an equally shared electron density.

Therefore, the halogen molecule is not electronegative, hence it's not polar.