Chemistry · CHEMICAL BONDING AND MOLECULAR STRUCTURE

In terms of orbital overlap and bond directionality, which statement explains why simple atomic orbital overlap fails to describe the geometry of \( \text{CH}_4 \)?

1. A
   Carbon has only two valence electrons available for bonding in its ground state
2. B
   Carbon forms ionic bonds rather than covalent directional bonds with hydrogen
3. C
   The \( 2s \) orbital of carbon cannot overlap with the spherical \( 1s \) orbital of hydrogen
4. D
   The mutual \( 90^\circ \) angles between the three \( 2p \) orbitals would predict \( 90^\circ \) bond angles rather than the observed \( 109.5^\circ \)