What does formate mean?
Formate is the name given to any salt or ester of formic acid, the simplest carboxylic acid. Chemically, a formate contains either the formate anion (HCOO⁻) bound to a metal, as in sodium formate, or the HCOO– group linked to an organic group, as in methyl formate. Under international naming conventions these compounds are also called methanoates. The word derives ultimately from the Latin formica, meaning ant, because formic acid was first obtained by distilling ants. Although unfamiliar to most laypeople, formates are commercially significant: sodium formate serves as a runway de-icing agent and in leather tanning, while esters such as methyl formate find use in industrial synthesis. In biochemistry, formate appears as an intermediate in cellular metabolism, and enzymes called formate dehydrogenases interconvert it with carbon dioxide. Precise but narrow in application, the term belongs firmly to scientific and technical vocabulary rather than general prose.
nounA salt or ester of formic acid, containing the HCOO⁻ anion or the HCOO– group; in systematic chemistry it is also known as a methanoate.
- A salt of formic acid, containing the formate anion (HCOO⁻), such as sodium formate.
- An ester of formic acid, such as methyl formate, in which the hydrogen of the carboxyl group is replaced by an organic group.
"Sodium formate is produced industrially as a by-product of pentaerythritol manufacture and used as a de-icing agent."
"In the reaction, carbon dioxide is reduced to formate, which can then serve as a feedstock for further synthesis."
"Methyl formate, the simplest ester of formic acid, is a volatile liquid used as a blowing agent in foam production."
As a countable noun referring to classes of compounds, formate takes a regular plural; in most technical contexts it is used with a specific counter-ion or group (e.g. sodium formate, ethyl formate) rather than in the plural.
"Both formates were analyzed by ion chromatography to confirm the reaction products."
The humble ant gave chemistry one of its simplest acids — and "formate" carries that origin in its name, from the Latin word for ant, formica.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of formate
The word "formate" takes its name from formic acid, which in turn comes from the Latin formica, meaning "ant." Early European chemists obtained formic acid by distilling crushed ants, so the acid was literally named after its insect source. As chemists later identified the salts and esters of this acid, they were naturally designated "formates," following the standard pattern by which salts of an acid take their parent's name. The same Latin root gives us the closely related terms "formic acid," "formicary" (an ant nest), and the medical term "formication."
How formate is actually used
Formate is a technical term used almost exclusively in chemistry, biochemistry, and related industrial contexts; it is rare in everyday conversation. In formal nomenclature, formate salts and esters may alternatively be named methanoates under IUPAC rules. Stress falls on the first syllable.
Easily confused with formate
"Format" refers to the layout or arrangement of something, while "formate" is a chemical compound derived from formic acid — the extra letters change the meaning entirely.