Thus the one 2s and three 2p orbitals in a carbon atom can be combined to make four equivalent orbitals (called sp??? hybrid orbitals), which would be the appropriate orbitals to describe carbon compounds such as methane, or the 2s orbital may be combined with two of the 2p orbitals to make three equivalent orbitals (called sp??? hybrid orbitals), with the remaining 2p orbital unhybridized, which