• About 40g oxalic acid and 50g anhydrous glycerol are taken in

distillation flask.
• The flask is fitted with condenser and thermometer.
• The flask is heated at 1100c till evolution of CO2 .
• The flask is cooled and fresh oxalic acid is added and it is again heated
at 1100c .The formic acid is formed and passes through condenser and
collected as aqueous form.
• The boiling point of formic acid( 100.50c) is almost same with water
so it can not make anhydrous by distillation, a simple physical method
.
Preparation of anhydrous formic acid
• First the formic acid is neutralize by lead carbonate .Aqueous solution
of lead formate is formed which is subjected for crystallization to
obtain the solid crystals of lead formate
HCOOH + PbCO3 H2O+CO2+(HCOO)2Pb(aq)
• The crystals are kept in a condenser and current of H2S is passed from
another end which decomposes lead formate to anhydrous formic
acid which is collected in receiver
(HCOO)2Pb + H2S PbS+ HCOOH