[Peacock]

Dear All,

I am struggling to find a reagent that causes the quantitative precipitation of carboxylic acids, especially formic acid. 

It sounds like a textbook question, but I cannot find any. Could anybody with better knowledge give me a hand in this issue?

Regards

[Stepan]

To the best of my knowledge all salts of formic and acetic acids are highly soluble

[discodermolide]

Try a barium salt if you want it inorganic, otherwise use an organic amine, dicyclohexylamine for example.

[Stepan]

Barium Formate and Acetate are soluble in water (>25g/100g). 

[Peacock]

Thanks for your replies.

I intend to get rid of formate (formic acid) in aqueous solution at room temperature and also at pH 7.

I thought of precipitation as the most likely means of doing it. However, given your replies, I am wondering if there are other reactions formate can undergo in the above-mentioned conditions.

Could you come up with any?

Thanks

[Peacock]

I forgot to mention that there is formaldehyde as well in the solution, and CO2, therefore I am not after a redox reaction. But of any other type.

Regards

[Stepan]

Depends on composition, volume as well as application, you can neutralize the solution and distill it into another vessel.

[Peacock]

Right...

Isn't there a way to transform the formate (formic acid) without oxidizing or reducing it on the spot? without further processing?

I didn't know it would be so complicated...

[Stepan]

If you give us a better idea what you are trying to achieve (full picture), we might be able to find a solution.