Formic Acid, CAS No. : 64-18-6

Formic acid is a colourless, fuming liquid with a pungent acrid odor with the chemical formula HCOOH.

Formic acid is systematically named as methanoic acid. The common names for simple carboxylic acids come from the Latin or Greek names of their source. Formic acid, although not widely used as a solvent, is of interest as an example of a protic solvent with high acidity. Formic acid and its salts are corrosive and skin sensitizers. Sodium Formate is mildly irritating to the eyes. It is an important intermediate in chemical synthesis and occurs naturally, most notably in some ants. Esters, salts, and the anion derived from formic acid are called Formates. Industrially, formic acid is produced from methanol.

Formic acid is a colourless liquid having a pungent, penetrating odor at room temperature, not unlike the related acetic acid. It is miscible with water and most polar organic solvents, and is somewhat soluble in hydrocarbons. In hydrocarbons and in the vapor phase, it consists of hydrogen-bonded dimers rather than individual molecules. Owing to its tendency to hydrogen-bond, gaseous formic acid does not obey the ideal gas law. Solid formic acid, which can exist in either of two polymorphs, consists of an effectively endless network of hydrogen-bonded formic acid molecules. Formic acid forms a low-boiling azeotrope with water (22.4%). Liquid formic acid tends to supercool.