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Ascorbic acid has a molar mass of 176.14 g/mol. What is the molecular formula of ascorbic acid? The empirical formula is C3H4O3.Express your answer as a chemical formula.

Respuesta :

Step 1 - Determine the mass of the empirical formula C3H4O3. Molar mass values: C = 12 g/mol; O = 16 g/mol; H = 1g/mol

(3x12) + (4x1) + (3x16) = 88 g/mol

Step 2 - Calculate the molecular formula:

88 g ---- 1 mol

176.14 g ---- x mol

x = 2 mol

This means that we need 2 minimum formulas to arrive at the molar mass of the compound. So, just multiply the element indices of the empirical formula by 2 to find the molecular formula, which is: C6H8O6

Answer: The molecular formula is C6H8O6