Electronegativity and bond angles Many bond angles can be explained by either electronegativity or size arguments. Mol ecules that have a larger difference in electronegativity values between their central and outer atoms have smaller bond angles. The atom with larger electronegativity draws the electrons toward itself and away from the central atom, reducing the repulsive effect of those bonding electrons. The compounds of the halogens in Table 3-5 show this effect the compounds containing fluorine have smaller angles than those containing chlorine, which in turn have smaller angles than those containing bromine or iodine. As a result, the lone pair effect is relatively larger and forces smaller bond angles. The same result is obtained if size is considered; as the size of the outer atom increases in the F Cl Br I series, the angle increases.