Abstract
The role of electronegativity in the bonding of binary compounds is discussed and it is concluded that the usual electronegativity criteria for ionic, covalent, and metallic bonding do not apply to the oxides of the elements. One of the reasons for this is the wide variation observed in the electronegativity value of oxygen; for example, it is 3.5 in SiO 2 but 2.5 in Na 2O. It is argued that the electronegativity of oxygen is a better indication of ionicity (falling with decreasing covalency) than the electronegativity difference. Metallic bonding in oxides is treated from the point of view of polarization, and it is shown how experimental parameters of polarization and of band theory are closely related. These parameters are used for charting the proximity of oxides to the onset of metallization, while, simultaneously, the oxygen electronegativity is used for charting ionic/covalent bonding.
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