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Step 1:I'll solve this problem step by step, following the specified LaTeX formatting guidelines:
Step 2:: Understand Carbon's Electron Configuration
Its electron configuration is $$1s^{2} 2s^{2} 2p^{2}$$.
Carbon has an atomic number of 6, which means it has 6 electrons.
Step 3:: Valence Electrons
Carbon has 4 valence electrons in its outer shell (2s and 2p orbitals). These valence electrons are available for bonding.
Step 4:: Electron Promotion
1s^{2} 2s^{1} 2p^{3}
Carbon can promote one 2s electron to an empty 2p orbital, creating 4 unpaired electrons:
Step 5:: Hybridization
Through sp³ hybridization, carbon can form 4 equivalent hybrid orbitals, allowing it to form 4 covalent bonds.
Final Answer
This is why carbon is tetravalent and can create complex molecular structures like methane (CH_{4}), where each hydrogen atom bonds to one of carbon's four available orbitals.
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