What is the correct name for the molecular compound CCl_4?

• A. Carbon chloride
• B. Carbon tetrafluoride
• C. Calcium chloride
• D. Carbon tetrachloride

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Identify the elements present in the compound CCl_4. Here, C stands for carbon and Cl stands for chlorine.
2. Recognize that this is a molecular compound composed of nonmetals, so we use prefixes to indicate the number of atoms of each element.
3. Determine the number of chlorine atoms attached to the carbon atom. The subscript 4 indicates there are four chlorine atoms.
4. Use the appropriate prefix for four, which is 'tetra-', and combine it with the name of chlorine, changing 'chlorine' to 'chloride' as per naming conventions for molecular compounds.
5. Combine the names to form the full name: 'carbon tetrachloride'.