Final answer:
The compound with the formula KCl is named potassium chloride, following the convention of combining the metal name and the nonmetal name altered to '-ide'.
Step-by-step explanation:
The chemical name of the compound with the formula KCl is potassium chloride. It is not called potassium chlorate, chloride potassium, or chlorate potassium. In naming ionic compounds, the name of the metal (potassium in this case) comes first, followed by the name of the nonmetal with its ending changed to '-ide', which makes it chloride from chlorine in this case.
This naming convention applies similarly to other compounds such as sodium chloride (NaCl), aluminum oxide (Al2O3), and iron(III) chloride (FeCl3). The Latin name for potassium is 'Kalium', which is reflected in its chemical symbol K.