formate

[fawr-meyt]

noun

Chemistry.

1. a salt or ester of formic acid.

formate

/ ˈfɔːmeɪt /

noun

1. any salt or ester of formic acid containing the ion HCOO ^– or the group HCOO–

formate

1. A salt or ester of formic acid, containing the group HCOO.

Word History and Origins

Origin of formate¹

First recorded in 1800–10; form(ic) + -ate ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of formate¹

C19: from _form ( _ic ) + _-ate ¹

Example Sentences

One of the compounds, acetic acid, had never before been definitively observed in space ice, while the others -- ethanol, methyl formate, and acetaldehyde -- were detected in ices outside the Milky Way for the first time.

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Methanol and methyl formate had already been observed in the gas phase within the Large Magellanic Cloud, but this is the first evidence that such molecules are also forming in the solid ice itself.

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The new device integrates organic semiconductors with enzymes from sulfate-reducing bacteria, splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen or converting carbon dioxide into formate.

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Their breakthrough involves a hybrid device that brings together light-absorbing organic polymers and bacterial enzymes to transform sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide into formate, a clean fuel that can power additional chemical reactions.

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In laboratory tests, the team successfully used sunlight to convert carbon dioxide into formate and then applied it directly in a “domino” reaction to synthesize a valuable compound used in pharmaceuticals, achieving both high yield and purity.

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