Formic acid Formic acid Formic acid, systematically named methanoic acid, is the simplest carboxylic acid. The chemical formula is HCOOH or HCOH. It is an important intermediate in chemical synthesis and occurs naturally, most notably in some ants. The word "formic" comes from the Latin word for ant, "formica", referring to its early isolation by the distillation of ant bodies. Esters, salts, and the anion derived from formic acid are called formates. Industrially formic acid is produced from methanol. Formic acid is a colorless liquid having a pungent, penetrating odor at room temperature, not unlike the related acetic acid. It is miscible
Fatty acid Michel Eugène Chevreul, though he used initially some variant terms, "graisse acide" and "acide huileux" ("acid fat" and "oily acid"). Fatty acids differ by length, often categorized as short to very long. Saturated fatty acids have no C=C double bonds. They have the same formula CH(CH)COOH, with variations in "n". An important saturated fatty acid is stearic acid (n = 16), which when neutralized with lye is the most common form of soap. Unsaturated fatty acids have one or more C=C double bonds. The C=C double bonds can give either "cis" or "trans" isomers. In most naturally occurring unsaturated fatty