Which of the following could be the structure of $C_3{H}_6{O}_3$?

• A. Propanoic acid: ${\mathrm{CH}}_3-{\mathrm{CH}}_2\mathrm{COOH}$
• B. Glycerol (propane-1,2,3-triol): $\mathrm{HOCH}-\mathrm{CH}\left(\mathrm{OH}\right)-{\mathrm{CH}}_2\mathrm{OH}$
• C. Methyl acetate: ${\mathrm{CH}}_3\mathrm{COO}{\mathrm{CH}}_3$
• D. Acetone (propanone): ${\mathrm{CH}}_3-\mathrm{CO}-{\mathrm{CH}}_3$

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Determine the molecular formula given, which is C\_3H\_6O\_3. This means the compound contains 3 carbon atoms, 6 hydrogen atoms, and 3 oxygen atoms.
2. Step 2: Analyze each candidate structure to see if its molecular formula matches C\_3H\_6O\_3. For example, propanoic acid (CH\_3-CH\_2-COOH) has the formula C\_3H\_6O\_2, which does not match.
3. Step 3: Check methyl acetate (CH\_3COOCH\_3), which has the formula C\_3H\_6O\_2, so it also does not match the required formula.
4. Step 4: Examine acetone (CH\_3-CO-CH\_3), which has the formula C\_3H\_6O, missing two oxygen atoms compared to C\_3H\_6O\_3.
5. Step 5: Consider glycerol (HOCH\_2-CH(OH)-CH\_2OH), which contains 3 carbons, 8 hydrogens, and 3 oxygens. However, note that the molecular formula for glycerol is C\_3H\_8O\_3, which has 2 more hydrogens than C\_3H\_6O\_3. Therefore, the compound with formula C\_3H\_6O\_3 could be a derivative or isomer related to glycerol but not glycerol itself. The key is to match the exact formula and functional groups to identify the correct structure.