Question

Which of the following compounds has only one atom of carbon?

A) CO2
B) HCl
C) C2H5
D) C2H12

Answer 1

The compound CO2, or carbon dioxide, is the only one among the options given that contains only one atom of carbon.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question is asking to identify which compound among the provided options has only one atom of carbon. We have to look at each chemical formula to see the number of carbon atoms it contains:

• A) CO2: This is carbon dioxide, which contains one atom of carbon.
• B) HCl: This is hydrochloric acid, which contains no carbon atoms.
• C) C2H5: This represents a compound with two carbon atoms, as indicated by the subscript '2' after the 'C'.
• D) C2H12: Similarly, this compound also contains two carbon atoms.

Therefore, A) CO2 has only one atom of carbon and is the correct answer.