The electronegativity of the following elements increases in the order : — Periodic Table and Periodicity Chemistry Question

💡 Solution & Explanation

Step 1: Electronegativity increases across a period (from left to right) and decreases down a group (from top to bottom). Step 2: Comparing the second-period elements (C, N) and third-period elements (Si, P), second-period elements are significantly more electronegative because of their smaller size. Step 3: The electronegativity values are approximately Si (1.8) < P (2.1) < C (2.5) < N (3.0), which corresponds to option (b).