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
Butyric acid it was not until 1823 that he presented the properties of butyric acid in detail. The name of butyric acid comes from the Latin word for butter, "butyrum" (or "buturum"), the substance in which butyric acid was first found. Industrially, butyric acid is prepared by fermentation of sugar or starch, made more efficient by use of "Clostridium tyrobutyricum" in a process called catalytic upgrading. Salts and esters of the acid are called butyrates or butanoates. Butyric acid or fermentation butyric acid is also present as the octyl ester (octyl butyrate) in parsnip ("Pastinaca sativa") and in the fruit of the