Formic acid

1 2 Mechanism deciphered: How organic acids are formed in the atmosphere Date: May 12, 2021 Source: Forschungszentrum Juelich Summary: The acidity of the atmosphere is increasingly determined by carbon dioxide and organic acids such as formic acid. The second of these impact the growth of clouds and pH of rainwater. But the chemical processes behind the formation of formic acid were not well understood. Researchers have now succeeded in filling this gap. Share: The acidity of the atmosphere is increasingly determined by carbon dioxide and organic acids such as formic acid. The second of these contribute to the formation of aerosol particles as a precursor of raindrops and therefore impact the growth of clouds and pH of rainwater. In previous atmospheric chemistry models of acid formation, formic acid tended to play a small role. The chemical processes behind its formation were not well understood. An international team of researchers under the aegis of Forschungszentrum Jülich has now succeeded in filling this gap and deciphering the dominant mechanism in the formation of formic acid. This makes it possible to further refine atmosphere and climate models. The results of the study have now been published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature. In Germany, we are familiar with acid rain, particularly from our experience in the 1980s. The cause of it was that nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides released into the atmosphere by human beings reacted with the water droplets in the clo...

Formic acid fuel cells ( direct formic acid fuel cells or DFAFCs) are a subcategory of direct liquid-feed fuel cells (DLFCs), in which the liquid fuel is directly oxidized (electrochemically) at the anode instead of reforming to produce hydrogen. Formic acid-based fuel cells represent a promising energy supply system in terms of high volumetric energy density, theoretical energy efficiency, and theoretical open-circuit voltage. They are also able to overcome certain problems inherent to traditional hydrogen (H 2) feed fuel cells such as safe handling, storage, and H 2 transportation. There are 3 main types of DFAFCs: • Active DFAFCs, where a pump feeds the liquid fuel ito the anode and ogygen in compressed air to the cathode. • Active air-breathing DFAFCs, where the cathode is exposed to the oxygen present in ambient air. • Passive air-breathing DFAFCs, where there are no mechanical components injecting fuels and oxygen into the cell. The feeding of fuels and air into a cell increases its energy output, at the cost of price and size/portability. Today, the main applications of DFAFCs include small, portable electronics, medical diagnostic devices, as well as larger fixed power applications and electric vehicles. Fuel sourcing [ ] FA is commonly produced by reacting CO with methanol in the presence of a strong base, followed by methyl formate hydrolysis, hydrolysis of formamide, and acidolysis of formate salts. However, FA can also be sustainably produced from the direct el...

1 2 Ants swallow their own acid to protect themselves from germs Date: November 3, 2020 Source: Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg Summary: Ants use their own acid to disinfect themselves and their stomachs. A team has found that formic acid kills harmful bacteria in the animal's food, thereby reducing the risk of disease. At the same time, the acid significantly influences the ant's intestinal flora. Share: Ants use their own acid to disinfect themselves and their stomachs. A team from Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) and the University of Bayreuth has found that formic acid kills harmful bacteria in the animal's food, thereby reducing the risk of disease. At the same time, the acid significantly influences the ant's intestinal flora. The new study was published in the journal eLife. Formic acid is one of the simplest organic acids. It is produced in a special gland in the abdomen of numerous species of ant. "There was a long-standing assumption that the acid only served to ward off predators, for example insects and birds," says Dr Simon Tragust from the Institute of Biology at MLU, who co-led the new study alongside Professor Heike Feldhaar from Bayreuth. A couple of years ago he was able to show that ants also use the acid in brood care, for example, to disinfect their brood and prevent the spread of harmful fungi. The new study was based on an observation of the animals' behaviour. "Whenever ants swallow food or water, they start cleaning their ...

Formic acid is the simplest carboxylic acid. Its discovery in the distillation products of ants is usually attributed to English scientist John Gray in 1671, although there is evidence that a Samuel Fisher made the discovery the year before. The name “formic” comes from formica 1, the Latin word for ant and the name of the genus to which many ants belong. Although ants and other insects produce significant amounts of formic acid, the large worldwide production of the chemical (870 kt in 2021) is made industrially. Most of it is made from carbon monoxide, either by heating it with sodium hydroxide to produce sodium formate, which is then acidified, or via the base-catalyzed reaction of CO and methanol to make methyl formate, which is hydrolyzed to the acid. Formic acid is also a major byproduct of acetic acid manufacture. Formic acid has a wide range of uses: in leather tanning, as a decalcifier and cleaning product, as a chemical reducing agent, as a preservative in animal feeds, and for manufacturing its salts and esters. Its synthetic method can also be reversed to liberate CO. This is Earth Week, and this year chemists and students are celebrating it by learning about Formica genus emit formic acid when they bite or spray, causing skin irritation or worse in humans. Fire ants ( Solenopsis spp.) cause even more damage because their venom contains toxic alkaloids. 1. This term should not be confused with the commercial plastic laminate Formica, which was so named because ...

If you have ever fallen into nettles or have been bitten by an ant, you learnt what formic acid was the hard way. The substance was first discovered and named by a seventeenth-century English naturalist, John Ray, who experimented on dead ants. In our article, we will look for answers to the following questions: what is formic acid – what is it used for, what are its chemical and physical properties. What is formic acid and how is it produced? Formic acid (in Latin: Acidum formicum) is also called methanoic acid or hydrogen carboxylic acid. Together with butyric and acetic acids, it belongs to the group of carboxylic acids, which are the simplest organic chemical compounds formed from hydrocarbons that are known to people. How can we produce formic acid? The chemical formula of this compound is HCOOH – it is a derivative of: • a reaction of carbon monoxide and • a reaction of carbon monoxide and • a result of the process of oxidation of hydrocarbons. If anybody thinks that ants or nettles are needed for the mass production of formic acid, we reply: nothing could be further from the truth! The acid is produced from Formic acid – physical and chemical properties What are the physical properties of formic acid? It is a colourless caustic liquid with a pungent odour. The melting point of this compound is 8.6°C, and the boiling point is 100.6°C. What else distinguishes formic acid? Other characteristic physical properties of methanoic acid include:solubility in water, benzene a...