Final answer:
The molecular formula of ascorbic acid is found by doubling the empirical formula C3H4O3, resulting in the molecular formula C6H8O6 which matches option b.
Step-by-step explanation:
The molecular formula of ascorbic acid can be found by comparing the empirical formula mass to the actual molar mass provided. First, we calculate the mass for the empirical formula C3H4O3:
(3×12.011) + (4×1.008) + (3×15.999) = 88.062 amu.
Next, we find the ratio of the experimentally determined molecular mass (176 amu) to the empirical formula mass:
(176 amu/88.062 amu) = 2.0
This indicates that the molecular formula contains twice as many of each atom as the empirical formula. Therefore, multiplying the empirical formula by 2:
2 * C3H4O3 = C6H8O6, which corresponds to option b: C6H8O6.