Re: Why is the electron affinity of carbon is higher than boron?

Electron Affinity is a measure of the attraction of an atom to an electron. The reason why group 4 atoms have much higher electron affinities than the other atoms in their adjacent groups is because of the electron configuration. The atoms in group 4 have 4 electrons in their outer electron shell. This configuration is very stable and likes to form covalent bonds where they share their electrons as opposed to giving them up completely or stripping them away completely as in an ionic bond. Unlike the adjacent atoms in the periodic table which will readily accept electrons to form ionic bonds, I do not know of any carbon based ionic compounds.