* Electronegativity: Oxygen is much more electronegative than hydrogen. Electronegativity is the ability of an atom to attract electrons in a bond. Oxygen has a stronger pull on electrons than hydrogen.
* Sharing Electrons: When hydrogen and oxygen form a bond (like in water, H₂O), oxygen will pull the shared electrons closer to itself. This means oxygen will have a slightly negative charge (δ-) and the hydrogens will have slightly positive charges (δ+).
In summary:
* Oxygen: Slightly negative charge (δ-)
* Hydrogen: Slightly positive charge (δ+)
This difference in charge makes the water molecule polar, which has important implications for its properties and how it interacts with other molecules.
