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
