Question

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

1) CO₂
2) HCl
3) C₂H₆
4) C₂H₂

Answer 1

Among the provided options, CO₂ (Carbon Dioxide) has only one carbon atom. However, the question seems to have a discrepancy as none of the listed compounds matches the commonly known chemical formulas with one carbon atom besides CO₂, which has no hydrogen.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student has asked which of the listed compounds has only one atom of carbon. To identify which of these compounds has a single carbon atom, we look at the molecular formulas of each compound. CO₂ (Carbon Dioxide) contains one carbon atom; however, it does not contain hydrogen. HCl (Hydrochloric Acid) does not contain any carbon atoms. C₂H₆ (Ethane) contains two carbon atoms, as does C₂H₂ (Acetylene). Therefore, none of the given options explicitly list a compound with only one carbon atom, but CO₂ has only one carbon atom even though it does not contain hydrogen. Compounds like methane (CH₄), unlike C₄H₁₀ (Butane), have no isomeric forms and depict single carbon-containing compounds accurately. Option 1 is correct .

Answer 2

The correct answer is option(2).

The compound that has only one atom of carbon is option (2) HCl, which is hydrogen chloride. HCl consists of one carbon atom and one hydrogen atom bonded together.

Let's briefly examine the other options:

1) CO₂ (carbon dioxide) contains one carbon atom bonded to two oxygen atoms.

3) C₂H₆ (ethane) contains two carbon atoms bonded to six hydrogen atoms.

4) C₂H₂ (acetylene) contains two carbon atoms bonded to two hydrogen atoms.

So, among the given options, HCl is the compound that has only one atom of carbon.