Why carbon cannot gain 4 electrons?

Carbon cannot gain 4 electrons to form C⁴⁻ ion due to several fundamental reasons:1. Energy considerations:- Adding electrons requires energy (electron affinity)- Adding the first electron releases energy, but subsequent additions require increasing energy- The energy required to add 4 electrons is prohibitively high2. Nuclear attraction limitation:- Carbon has only 6 protons in its nucleus- These 6 protons cannot effectively attract and hold 10 total electrons (6 + 4 gained)- The resulting ion would be highly unstable due to weak nuclear control3. Steric hindrance:- Four additional electrons would create significant electron-electron repulsion- The small atomic size cannot accommodate the extra electron density4. Practical alternative:- Carbon prefers covalent bonding by sharing electrons- This allows carbon to achieve octet configuration without the energy penalties of electron gain- Covalent bonding explains carbon's unique ability to form extensive chains and complex molecules

Carbon has 4 valence electrons and requires 4 more electrons to complete its octet. However, gaining 4 electrons is energetically unfavorable because it would create a C⁴⁻ ion, which is highly unstable due to extreme negative charge repulsion. Instead, carbon forms covalent bonds by sharing electrons with other atoms.