formic acid

American  

noun

Chemistry, Pharmacology.

1. a colorless, irritating, fuming, water-soluble liquid, CH 2 O 2 , originally obtained from ants and now manufactured synthetically, used in dyeing and tanning and in medicine chiefly as a counterirritant and astringent.

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formic acid British  

noun

1. Systematic name: methanoic acid.  a colourless corrosive liquid carboxylic acid found in some insects, esp ants, and many plants: used in dyeing textiles and the manufacture of insecticides and refrigerants. Formula: HCOOH

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formic acid Scientific  

/ fôr′mĭk /

1. A colorless, caustic, fuming liquid that occurs naturally as the poison of ants and stinging nettles. It is used in making textiles and paper and in insecticides. Formic acid is the simplest organic acid, containing a carboxyl (COOH) group attached to a hydrogen atom. Chemical formula: CH ₂ O ₂ .

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Etymology

Origin of formic acid

First recorded in 1785–95

Example Sentences

To do this, they started with a genetically engineered "sick" cell, one that could only survive if it produced both the desired pigment, along with a second chemical called formic acid.

From Science Daily • Nov. 3, 2025

This metabolism creates toxic by-products called formaldehyde, formate and formic acid.

From BBC • Nov. 22, 2024

A low-cost, tin-based catalyst can selectively convert carbon dioxide to three widely produced chemicals -- ethanol, acetic acid and formic acid.

From Science Daily • May 21, 2024

"COFs have the potential to be useful in a variety of catalytic processes ? you might, for instance, use COFs to break down carbon dioxide into useful chemicals like ethylene and formic acid," Daum said.

From Science Daily • Dec. 18, 2023

Little by little it becomes stupefied from the discharges of formic acid the ants throw out from their bodies, and presently it succumbs to their renewed forces.

From The Animal Story Book by Various