The compound HClO4 is named Perchloric Acid.
To understand this, we need to break down the components of the chemical formula. HClO4 consists of hydrogen (H), chlorine (Cl), and oxygen (O). In this compound, chlorine is in the highest oxidation state, giving it a -1 to +7 range, where +7 is present in perchloric acid.
The prefix ‘per-‘ in perchloric indicates that it contains the highest number of oxygen atoms compared to other chlorine oxoacids. Other related compounds include chloric acid (HClO3), hypochlorous acid (HClO), and chlorous acid (HClO2), which have fewer oxygen atoms. Thus, HClO4 is specifically termed perchloric acid because it indicates the presence of four oxygen atoms with chlorine in its highest oxidation state of +7.