what is the name of this hydrocarbon?\n1 - methylbutane\n2 - methylbutane\n2 - methylpropane\n3…

Answer:

C. 2 - methylpropane

Explanation:

Step1: Identify the parent chain

The longest carbon - carbon chain has 3 carbon atoms, so the parent alkane is propane.

Step2: Locate the substituent

There is a methyl group ($-CH_3$) attached to the second carbon atom of the propane chain. So the name is 2 - methylpropane. Also, 1 - methylbutane is incorrect as it has a mis - named parent chain (it should be pentane if considering the longest chain). 3 - methylpropane is not a valid name as numbering should start from the end closest to the substituent. And 2 - methylbutane has a 4 - carbon parent chain with a methyl at the second carbon, which is not the case for the given structure.