What is the root for a carbon chain containing one carbon atom?

The correct root for a carbon chain containing one carbon atom is "Meth-." In organic chemistry, the naming of hydrocarbons follows a systematic approach where the prefixes indicate the number of carbon atoms present in the longest continuous chain.

In this nomenclature system, "Meth-" specifically refers to a single carbon atom, which corresponds to methane (CH₄), the simplest alkane. The other prefixes represent longer carbon chains: "Eth-" refers to a two-carbon chain (ethane), "Prop-" refers to a three-carbon chain (propane), and "But-" refers to a four-carbon chain (butane). Understanding these prefixes is essential for recognizing and identifying different hydrocarbons and their structures, which is a fundamental concept in organic chemistry.