Verifying Statements on Tartaric Acid

Steps:

• Examine structure: Tartaric acid is HOOC-CH(OH)-CH(OH)-COOH, with two central carbons each bearing four different groups (H, OH, COOH, and the other CH(OH)COOH).
• Confirm chirality: Both central carbons are chiral centers, so statement 1 is true (more than one).
• Check formula: Counts yield 4 carbons, 6 hydrogens (2 from COOH, 2 from CH, 2 from OH), and 6 oxygens (4 from COOH, 2 from OH), so C4H6O6; statement 2 is true.
• Assess ionization: As a dicarboxylic acid, it dissociates two H+ from COOH groups in water (alcoholic OH not ionizable), so statement 3 is false.

Why B is correct:

• It includes only the true statements 1 and 2, excluding the false statement 3, per acid-base chemistry definitions.

Why the others are wrong:

• A includes false statement 3.
• C includes false statement 3 and excludes true statement 1.
• D excludes true statement 2.

Final answer: B