Methanoic acid, the first member of carboxylic acid series, when warmed with concentrated
Channel: Doubtnut
Date: 16/02/2020

Methanoic acid, the first member of carboxylic acid series, when warmed with concentrated sulphuric acid decompose in the following way and evolve carbon monoxide. The driving force for this reaction lies in the fact that the `HC-=O^(+)` ion is very unstable acid and thus easily loses `H^(+)`. What happens when acetic acid is treated with conc. `H_2 SO_4`?