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formic acid
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formic acid

chemistry
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Also known as: methanoic acid
Written by
William H. Brown
Emeritus Professor of Chemistry, Beloit College, Wisconsin.
William H. Brown
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Also called:
methanoic acid
Related Topics:
saturated fat
How wood ants use sunlight to heat their nest
How wood ants use sunlight to heat their nestWatch as a nest of ants spray formic acid at a nearby jay.
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formic acid (HCO2H), the simplest of the carboxylic acids, used in processing textiles and leather. Formic acid was first isolated from certain ants and was named after the Latin formica, meaning “ant.” It is made by the action of sulfuric acid upon sodium formate, which is produced from carbon monoxide and sodium hydroxide.Synthesis of formic acid from carbon monoxide and sodium hydroxide. chemical compound

Formic acid is also prepared in the form of its esters by treatment of carbon monoxide with an alcohol such as methanol (methyl alcohol) in the presence of a catalyst.

Formic acid is not a typical carboxylic acid; it is distinguished by its acid strength, its failure to form an anhydride, and its reactivity as a reducing agent—a property due to the ―CHO group, which imparts some of the character of an aldehyde. The methyl and ethyl esters of formic acid are commercially produced. Concentrated sulfuric acid dehydrates formic acid to carbon monoxide.

Pure formic acid is a colourless, fuming liquid with a pungent odour; it irritates the mucous membranes and blisters the skin. It freezes at 8.4 °C (47.1 °F) and boils at 100.7 °C (213.3 °F).

William H. Brown