OF A L IP HA TIC COMPO UND S. 1 3 



Wilde 1 found that the action of the electric spark 

 on gaseous mixtures of oxygen and alcohol, hydrogen 

 and carbon dioxide, methane and carbon dioxide pro- 

 duced formic acid. Losanitsch and Jovitschitsch 8 

 obtained formic acid by treating carbon monoxide or 

 dioxide and water in Berthelot's ozone apparatus. 

 The behavior of the acid itself as well as its salts has 

 been made the subject of thorough investigation car- 

 ried out chiefly by Brester, 3 Renard* and Bourgoin, 6 

 Bartoli and Papasogli. 8 



The progress of the decomposition is accompanied 

 by the evolution of carbon dioxide and oxygen at the 

 positive pole and hydrogen at the negative pole. The 

 quantitative relations of the decomposition products 

 vary with the concentration of the solution and the 

 density of the current. The reactions occur accord- 

 ing to the following equations: 



HCOOH = HCOO + H, 

 HCOO + HCOO = H a + 2CO a , 

 2HCOO + H 3 O = 2HCOOH + O. 



It is therefore theoretically impossible to effect the 

 complete decomposition of the formic acid present. 

 In the electrolysis of sodium formate, carbon dioxide 



Bull. soc. chim., [2] 5, 267. 

 Chem. Ber., 30, 135. 

 Zeitsohr. f. Chemie, 1866, p. 60. 

 Ann. chim. phys., [5] 17, 289. 

 Ann. chim. phys., [4] 14, 157. 

 Gazz. chim., 13, 22 and 88. 



