Sodium formate

Sodium formate

Names
Systematic IUPAC name Sodium methanoate
Other names formic acid, sodium salt, sodium hydrocarbon dioxide
Identifiers
CAS Number	141-53-7 Y
3D model (Jmol)	Interactive image
ChEMBL	ChEMBL183491 N
ChemSpider	8517 Y
ECHA InfoCard	100.004.990
EC Number	205-488-0
E number	E237 (preservatives)
PubChem	2723810
UNII	387AD98770 Y
InChI InChI=1S/CH2O2.Na/c2-1-3;/h1H,(H,2,3);/q;+1/p-1 Y Key: HLBBKKJFGFRGMU-UHFFFAOYSA-M Y InChI=1/CH2O2.Na/c2-1-3;/h1H,(H,2,3);/q;+1/p-1 Key: HLBBKKJFGFRGMU-REWHXWOFAN
SMILES [Na+].[O-]C=O
Properties
Chemical formula	HCOONa
Molar mass	68.007 g/mol
Appearance	white granules deliquescent
Density	1.92 g/cm3 (20 °C)
Melting point	253 °C (487 °F; 526 K)
Boiling point	decomposes
Solubility in water	43.82 g/100 mL (0 °C) 97.2 g/100 mL (20 °C) 160 g/100 mL (100 °C)
Solubility	insoluble in ether soluble in glycerol, alcohol, formic acid
Acidity (pKa)	7.0-8.5 (0.1M)
Thermochemistry
Specific heat capacity (C)	82.7 J/mol K
Std molar entropy (So298)	103.8 J/mol K
Std enthalpy of formation (ΔfHo298)	-666.5 kJ/mol
Gibbs free energy (ΔfG˚)	-599.9 kJ/mol
Hazards
EU classification (DSD)	not listed
NFPA 704	0 1 0
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
N  (what is YN ?)
Infobox references

Sodium formate, HCOONa, is the sodium salt of formic acid, HCOOH. It usually appears as a white deliquescent powder.

For commercial use, sodium formate is produced by absorbing carbon monoxide under pressure in solid sodium hydroxide at 130 °C and 6-8 bar pressure:

Because of the low-cost and large-scale availability of methanoic acid by carbonylation of methanol and hydrolysis of the resulting methyl formate, sodium formate is usually prepared by neutralizing methanoic acid with sodium hydroxide. Sodium formate is also unavoidably formed as a by-product in the final step of the pentaerythritol synthesis and in the crossed Cannizzaro reaction of methanal with the aldol reaction product trimethylol acetaldehyde [3-hydroxy-2,2-bis(hydroxymethyl)propanal].

In the laboratory, sodium formate can be prepared by neutralizing formic acid with sodium carbonate. It can also be obtained by reacting chloroform with an alcoholic solution of sodium hydroxide.

or by reacting sodium hydroxide with chloral hydrate.

The latter method is, in general, preferred to the former because the low aqueous solubility of CHCl₃ makes it easier to separate out from the sodium formate solution, by fractional crystallization, than the soluble NaCl would be.

Sodium formate may also be created via the haloform reaction between ethanol and sodium hypochlorite in the presence of a base. This procedure is well documented for the preparation of chloroform.