Formaldehyde, another name for formic acid.
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I’ve always wondered why formaldehyde is also known as formic aldehyde, and why formic acid is also called formic acid – where did these alternative names come from?
Insects such as bees and ants can secrete formic acid in their mouths; when they sting, it causes local redness, swelling, itching, and pain, due to the strong acidic nature of formic acid. Since it is the effect of formic acid, formic acid is also called ant acid. But why is formaldehyde also called formic aldehyde? It turns out that this is because, from a chemical structure perspective, aldehydes and acids are a large category of substances with very similar chemical structures; both are composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, with the only difference being the amounts and proportions of these three elements in their respective molecular structures. Moreover, they can also be converted into one another through oxidation and reduction reactions. For example, methanol is oxidized to formaldehyde, and formaldehyde is further oxidized to formic acid. Conversely, formic acid reduction can also produce formaldehyde and methanol. Therefore, it is only logical that formaldehyde, thanks to formic acid, acquired the alternative name of formaldehyde acid.