I am familiar with the alkanes, it's just the inconsistent names that I can't remember. If the question had asked what C8H18 was called, then "octane" would rol

I am familiar with the alkanes, it's just the inconsistent names that I can't remember. If the question had asked what C8H18 was called, then "octane" would roll off my tongue. Also, I obviously haven't memorised the periodic table, nor do I immediately see why doing so is necessary for scientific literacy. Isn't understanding it enough? I bet there's plenty of scientists who can't remember the whole thing.