In the molecule CH4 methane , the central carbon atom forms four sigma bonds with four hydrogen atoms. To accommodate these four bonds, the carbon atom undergoes hybridization, which is the mixing of atomic orbitals to form new hybrid orbitals.In the case of CH4, the carbon atom has the electron configuration 1s2s2p. To form four bonds, one of the 2s electrons is promoted to the empty 2p orbital, resulting in the electron configuration 1s2s2p. Now, the carbon atom has four unpaired electrons available for bonding.The hybridization process involves the mixing of one 2s orbital and three 2p orbitals, resulting in four equivalent sp hybrid orbitals. These sp hybrid orbitals are directed towards the corners of a tetrahedron, with bond angles of approximately 109.5 between them. This arrangement allows for the most stable and least repulsive configuration of electron pairs around the central carbon atom.Each of the four sp hybrid orbitals on the carbon atom overlaps with a 1s orbital of a hydrogen atom, forming four sigma bonds. These bonds are strong and covalent, resulting in a stable tetrahedral structure for the CH4 molecule. The hybridization of orbitals in CH4 contributes to the overall structure and bonding of the molecule by allowing the carbon atom to form four equivalent bonds with hydrogen atoms in a geometrically favorable arrangement.