Question

How does the carbon atom complete its octet?
A.It forms ionic bonds by sharing electrons.
B.It forms covalent bonds by donating electrons.
C.It forms covalent bonds by sharing electrons.
@SkyVoltage

Answer 1

Carbon's atomic number is 6 (proton number), and amu of 12 (average mass of all isotope). We know it has six electrons, because #of protons = # of electrons. Now, you have to figure out its electronic configuration, and determine the number of valence electrons

Answer 2

C = 1s2 2s2 2p2, so it has four electrons in its outermost shell (n =2). It can obtain four more by sharing electrons with other atoms. There is no complete ionic character in bonding, so you can think of sharing as the overlapping of electron orbitals between two atoms.