Formic acid

Formic acid (systematically called methanoic acid) is the simplest OOH or CH₂O₂. It is an important intermediate in chemical synthesis and occurs naturally, most famously in the venom of bee and ant stings.

In nature, it is found in the stings and bites of many insects of the order Hymenoptera, mainly ants. It is also a significant combustion product resulting from alternative fueled vehicles burning ion has the formula HCOO⁻.

Properties

Formic acid is miscible with ideal gas law. Liquid and solid formic acid consists of an effectively infinite network of hydrogen-bonded formic acid molecules.

Formic acid shares most of the chemical properties of other aldehydes.

Formic acid is unique among the carboxylic acids in its ability to participate in addition reactions with Koch reaction takes place instead, and formic acid adds to the alkene to produce a larger carboxylic acid.

Most simple formate salts are water-soluble. It is also a bi-functional compound.

Production

A significant amount of formic acid is produced as a byproduct in the manufacture of other chemicals, especially acetic acid. This production is insufficient to meet the present demand for formic acid, and some formic acid must be produced for its own sake.

When chemical equation

CO → HCOOCH₃

In industry, this reaction is performed in the liquid phase at elevated pressure. Typical reaction conditions are 80°C and 40 atm. The most widely-used base is sodium methoxide. Hydrolysis of the methyl formate produces formic acid:

HCOOCH₃ + H₂O → HCOOH + CH₃OH

Direct hydrolysis of methyl formate requires a large excess of water to proceed efficiently, and some producers perform it by an indirect route by first reacting the methyl formate with sulfuric acid to produce formic acid:

HCOOCH₃ + CH₃OH

(NH₄)₂SO₄

This technique has problems of its own, particularly disposing of the BASF) the formic acid is removed from the water via liquid extraction with an organic base.

In the laboratory formic acid can be obtained by heating HCl solution.^[1]

C₂H₅NC + 2H₂O → C₂H₅NH₂ + HCOOH

The isonitrile being obtained by reacting ethyl amine with chloroform (note that the fume hood is required because of the overpoweringly objectionable odor of the isonitrile).

Uses

The principal use of formic acid is as a preservative and antibacterial agent in livestock feed. When sprayed on fresh hay or other silage, it arrests certain decay processes and causes the feed to retain its nutritive value longer, and so it is widely used to preserve winter feed for cattle. In the poultry industry, it is sometimes added to feed to kill salmonella bacteria. Other uses:

• It is used to process organic latex (sap) into raw rubber.
• Beekeepers use formic acid as a miticide against the Varroa mite.
• It is of minor importance in the textile industry and for the tanning of leather.
• Some formate esters are artificial flavorings or perfumes.
• It is the active ingredient in some brands of household limescale remover.
• It is used in laboratories as a solvent modifier for mass spectrometry analysis.
• It is used by clinical pathology laboratories to disinfect prion activity in brain samples

In transfer hydrogenation.

In the laboratory formic acid is also used as source for toluene.^[2]

Fuel cells that use modified formic acid are promising.

History

As early as the 15th century, some carbon monoxide that is similar to that used today.

In the chemical industry, formic acid was long considered a acetic acid production. It now finds increasing use as a preservative and antibacterial in livestock feed.

Safety

The principal danger from formic acid is from skin or eye contact with liquid formic acid or with the concentrated vapors. Any of these exposure routes can cause severe chemical burns, and eye exposure can result in permanent eye damage. Inhaled vapors may similarly cause irritation or burns in the respiratory tract. Since ppm).

Formic acid is readily metabolized and eliminated by the body. Nonetheless, some chronic effects have been documented. Some animal experiments have demonstrated it to be a mutagen, and chronic exposure may cause liver or kidney damage. Another possibility with chronic exposure is development of a skin allergy that manifests upon re-exposure to the chemical.

The hazards of solutions of formic acid depend on the concentration. The following table lists the EU classification of formic acid solutions:

References

1. ^ Cohen, Julius B.: Practical Organic Chemistry MacMillan 1930
2. ^ N-methylformanilide, Organic Syntheses, Coll. Vol. 3, p.590 (1955); Vol. 20, p.66 (1940). Article