Carbon wants to attain this electron configuration. So that means that it is very likely that it will gain four electrons to form our perfect electron configuration. So if this carbon had four electrons floating around this atom, that means it would gain those electrons, and these electrons would steal the remaining two p orbitals. And that means once it gains the four electrons, it will have the one f two, two f two, and two p six the perfect configuration that matches neon. So notice that a neutral atom of carbon has a charge of zero. That's because it has six protons and six electrons.