Question

is electron affinity always negative

Answer 1

No., the 1st electron affinity is negative and second electron affinity is positive .

Answer 2

Answer:

Unlike ionization energies, which are always positive for a neutral atom because energy is required to remove an electron, electron affinities can be negative (energy is released when an electron is added), positive (energy must be added to the system to produce an anion), or zero (the process is energetically neutral)