[levaa]

I'm attempting to self-teach organic chemistry, and have encountered an issue.

When writing (CH3)3C (three methyls linked to one carbon), it is apparent each methyl is written differently. Rather than just three linked CH3s, there is a CH3, CH2, and H3C.

Why is this?

[levaa]

Lmao.

I misread the answer. It is a carbon linked to two CH3s and an H3C. I did not realize H3C was also methane.

[spirochete]

One note on terminology: "CH3" is a methyl group, and not methane. Carbon makes 4 bonds, so CH3 is not a stand alone molecule, but rather a substituent/group that must be bonded to another carbon. Methyl is an alkyl group, and such groups end in "-yl". Alkanes are stable molecules where all the carbons make four bonds, and their names and in -ane. For example CH4 is methane.

Also, "methyl" doesn't really mean just one carbon. It literally means CH3. CH2 and CH have other names, but its probably best not to get too bogged down in terminology and focus on the concepts also.

(CH3)3C is also not a complete molecule, because the central carbon is only making three bonds. It is called a "tert-butyl" group. This article about isomers and terminology might be helpful: https://www.masterorganicchemistry.com/2011/11/10/dont-be-futyl-learn-the-butyls/

[AWK]

Such a record is not yet Lewis structure. This is the semi-structural chemical formula.

H₃C-CH₂-CH₃ and
CH₃-CH₂-CH₃ are exactly the same formulas

[OrganicDan96]

people often write H₃C to make it clear that the bond is to the carbon atom eg H₃C-CH₃

[Babcock_Hall]

@OP, What you originally wrote is simply a tertiary butyl (tert-butyl) group.