Final answer:
Bromine is more electronegative than iodine due to its smaller atomic size and higher effective nuclear charge.
Step-by-step explanation:
Bromine is more electronegative than iodine due to its smaller atomic size and higher effective nuclear charge, which results in a stronger pull on electrons in a chemical bond.
Additionally, the electronegativity of an element increases as you move across a period in the periodic table. Bromine is located before iodine in Group 17, which means it has a higher electronegativity than iodine.
For example, when bromine reacts with sodium to form sodium bromide (NaBr), bromine attracts the valence electron of sodium more strongly than iodine would, resulting in a more polar and electronegative bond.