2. Use Coulomb\'s law to explain why sodium (Na) is more electronegative than ce

Question

2. Use Coulomb's law to explain why sodium (Na) is more electronegative than cesium (Cs), even though the nuclear charge on Cs is larger than for Na. To answer this question you need to consider both the effective nuclear charge felt by the valence electrons and the distance of those electrons from the nucleus. The effective nuclear charge is approximated as the total nuclear charge minus the number of core electrons. Thus, effectively, core electrons decrease the nuclear charge felt by the valence electrons because they are between the nucleus and the valence electrons.

Explanation / Answer

you are correct and coulombds law states that the force of attraction is inversely proportional to the distancebetween the two charged particles, hence in Cesium the electrons are situated far away from the nucleus than those in sodium so the electrons are loosely held.
hence Cs can lose electrons easily than na and form positively charged ions. so it is more electropositive than sodium, which means na ismore electronegative than Cs

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