negative, the negative sign implies a reversal of direction, and energy is required to attach an electron. In this case, the electron capture is an endothermic process and the relationship, E_ea = -?E(attach) is still valid. Negative values typically arise for the capture of a second electron, but also for the nitrogen atom.

The usual expression for calculating E_ea when an electron is attached is

This expression does follow the convention ?X = X(final) - X(initial)

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