Final answer:
The alkane with the molecular structure given by the student is named hexane, which is an alkane with a six-carbon chain. To determine the name of an alkane, the longest carbon chain is identified and named according to the established nomenclature, where hexane represents a six-carbon alkane.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question asks to name an alkane based on the given molecular formula structure. To name an alkane, we must first identify the longest chain of carbon atoms. Starting from the simplest, we have methane (one carbon), ethane (two carbons), propane (three carbons), and so on. The nomenclature for alkanes with longer carbon chains is as follows: butane (four carbons), pentane (five carbons), hexane (six carbons), heptane (seven carbons), octane (eight carbons), nonane (nine carbons), and decane (ten carbons). Based on the molecular formula provided in the question, we can count the number of carbon atoms to determine the length of the longest carbon chain.
Upon analyzing the given structure, which seems to have a typo or vague representation, we end up with a chain with a total of six carbon atoms. According to alkane nomenclature, a six-carbon alkane is named hexane. Therefore, the correct answer to this question is (d) hexane.