An organic student incorrectly names a compound as 3-butyloctane. What mistake did the student make?

Question

Group of answer choices

Started numbering from the wrong end of the octane chain

Did not find the longest chain, it should be decane

The student forgot to indicate cis- or trans-

Answer 1

The mistake the student made is:

Did not find the longest chain; it should be decane.

In the name "3-butyloctane," it implies that there's a four-carbon butyl group attached to an eight-carbon chain (octane), which indicates an incorrect chain length consideration. The longest continuous carbon chain including the butyl group is likely to be longer than eight carbons, leading to a naming convention that suggests it should be based on a decane (10-carbon) chain instead.