Similar arguments can be made in situations in which the outer atoms remain the
same but the central atom is changed. For example, consider the hydrogen series and
the chlorine series in Table 3-5. For these molecules, the electronegativity and si~oef the
central atom need to be considered. As the central atom becomes more electronegative, it
pulls electrons in bonding pairs more strongly toward itself. This effect increases the
concentration of bonding pair electrons near the central atom, causing the bonding pairs
to repel each other more strongly, increasing the bond angles. In these situations, the
compound with the most electronegative central atom has the largest bond angle