What general trend does electronegativity follow on the periodic table.

electronegativity decreases down a group and increases from left to right of the table

Explanation:

electronegativity shows how well an atom can attract electrons to itself in a covalent bond.

It is measured on the pauling scale, and the most electronegative element is fluorine.

electronegativity decreases down the group, because the increasing number of shells decreases the attraction between the nucleus and outermost electrons.

Electronegativity increases from left to right of a row, as across the row the number of protons in the nucleus increases. This allows a stronger attraction between outermost electrons and the nucleus.

So electronegativity increases up a group and across the row of the periodic table. Fluorine is the most electronegative element, measuring 4 on the pauling scale ( 4 is the highest number).

Hope this helps!