Synlett 2004(5): 0910-0911  
DOI: 10.1055/s-2004-820037
SPOTLIGHT
© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York

Formic Acid and its Salts

Sivapackiam Jothilingam*
Research Fellow, Department of Chemistry, Pondicherry ­University, Pondicherry - 605014, India
e-Mail: jothilingam_s@yahoo.com;
Further Information

Publication History

Publication Date:
23 March 2004 (online)

Introduction

Formic acid and its ammonium salts have been applied to synthetic chemistry for reduction of organic compounds and as a source of one carbon atom. [1] Recently formic acid based reagents are utilized for many synthetic transformations such as debenzylation, [2] formal hydration [3] and reduction of a,b-unsaturated carbonyl compounds, [4] cyclic enones, [5] and nitro compounds. [6] Some alkali metal salts of formic acid were used for a variety of functional group transformations. For example, the lithium fomate was used for the conversion of halide to carboxylic acid [7] and the potassium formate was used for reductive amination of aldehydes and ketones. [8] Recently formic acid and its salts found use in various microwave-mediated organic reactions. [9]