On the Paulings electronegativity scale the element next to F is

The correct option is O.

Electronegativity is a chemical property that describes the ability of an atom in a covalent bond to attract the shared pair of electrons toward itself. Linus Pauling developed the Pauling electronegativity scale, which assigns relative dimensionless values to elements to quantify this attracting power.

On this scale, Fluorine ($F$) is the most electronegative element in the entire periodic table, having a value of approximately 4.0. To determine which element comes next to Fluorine in electronegativity, we can compare the Pauling scale values for the given options:
1. Oxygen ($O$) has an electronegativity value of 3.5.
2. Chlorine ($\mathrm{Cl}$) has an electronegativity value of 3.0.
3. Nitrogen ($N$) has an electronegativity value of 3.0.
4. Neon ($\mathrm{Ne}$) is a noble gas with a stable octet configuration and generally does not have an assigned electronegativity value on the standard Pauling scale because it rarely forms chemical bonds.

By comparing these values, we can order the active elements in terms of decreasing electronegativity:
$F>O>\mathrm{Cl}\approx N$
With an electronegativity value of 3.5, Oxygen ($O$) has the second-highest electronegativity on the periodic table. Therefore, on the Pauling electronegativity scale, the element next to Fluorine is Oxygen.