Percent Ionic Character Calculator

Percent Ionic Character Calculator

Chemical bonds range from nonpolar covalent to ionic. Percent ionic character quantifies how much electron sharing is uneven between two bonded atoms.

Pauling's electronegativity formula:

$$I = 100 \times \left(1 - e^{-\left(\frac{\Delta\chi}{2}\right)^2}\right)$$

where $\Delta\chi = |\chi_1 - \chi_2|$ is the electronegativity difference on the Pauling scale. For HF, $\chi_\text{H} = 2.20$ and $\chi_\text{F} = 3.98$, giving $I \approx 54.7\%$ (polar covalent).

You can also estimate ionic character from dipole moments: $I = 100 \times (\mu_\text{observed} / \mu_\text{calculated})$, where $\mu_\text{calculated} = q \cdot e \cdot d$ for a fully ionic bond.

See also: Electronegativity Calculator and Lattice Energy Calculator.