What does having an sp hybridization really mean? Select the best answer that describes what sp hybidization on the carbon atoms of ethylene and the methyl carbocation means. H H C=C H a.) Each carbon atom in ethylene has combined two of its three 2p atomic orbitals with its 2s orbital to create a total of three sp hybrid orbitals (each with one electron) that it uses to form sigma bonds with the two hydrogen atoms and the other carbon atom, and the "left-over" 2p atomic orbital on each carbon atom (each with one electron) goes to form the pi-bond (the "double bond") of ethylene. In a similar way, the methyl carbocation has three sp hybrids it uses to form sigma bonds with the three hydrogen atoms, and the "left-over" 2p atomic orbital is empty. b.) The sp hybridization of carbon in ethylene and the methyl carbocation means that those carbon atoms can only bond with other sp hybridized carbon atoms. c.) The sp hybridization on carbon in ethylene and the methyl carbocation means that like the formally charged carbon atom of the methyl carbocation, the carbon atoms in ethylene prefer to have formal charges in the major resonance form.