I. Characteristics of Sodium Formate

Sodium formate (HCOONa) is a colorless or white crystalline powder with strong hygroscopicity. It is easily soluble in water and slightly soluble in ethanol. It has a wide range of applications in the chemical industry, mainly serving as a reducing agent, a buffer, and being used for the preparation of other chemicals. Sodium formate is alkaline in aqueous solution and can react with acids to generate corresponding formic acid and salts. This property makes it widely used as a neutralizing agent and softener in fields such as leather treatment and textile printing and dyeing. In addition, due to its good biodegradability and low toxicity, sodium formate shows unique advantages in environmentally friendly cleaning agents, drilling fluid additives and so on. In the food industry, sodium formate is also used as a preservative to effectively extend the shelf life of food, but the amount added needs to be strictly controlled to ensure food safety. It should be noted that sodium formate is prone to decompose and produce toxic gases at high temperatures, so corresponding safety measures need to be taken during production and use.

• Chemical formula: HCOONa

• Appearance: White crystals or powder with a slight formic acid odor.

• Solubility: Easily soluble in water and glycerol, slightly soluble in ethanol.

• Melting point: 253 °C (anhydrous substance).

• Density: 1.92 g/cm³.

• Hygroscopicity: It has hygroscopicity and is easy to deliquesce.

• Chemical properties: It has reducibility and can react with strong oxidizing agents.

• Stability: Chemically stable.

• Uses: Mainly used in the leather industry, as a catalyst and stability synthesis agent, as a reducing agent in the printing and dyeing industry, and for the production of sodium hydrosulfite, oxalic acid and formic acid.

II. Characteristics of Potassium Formate

• Chemical formula: HCOOK

• Appearance: Colorless transparent liquid or white solid.

• Solubility: Easily soluble in water, and the specific gravity of the saturated solution is 1.58 g/cm³.

• Melting point: 165 - 168 °C.

• Density: 1.560 g/mL (at 20 °C).

• Hygroscopicity: Extremely hygroscopic.

• Chemical properties: It has reducibility and can react with strong oxidizing agents.

• Uses: Mainly used for preparing water-containing oil well injection fluids and applied in drilling and completion fluid systems.

• Safety: Non-toxic and non-corrosive.

III. Uses of Sodium Formate

• Production of formic acid: Sodium formate can react with sulfuric acid to generate formic acid.

• Production of oxalic acid: Through dehydrogenation reaction to form sodium oxalate, which is further converted into oxalic acid.

• Leather industry: Used as a masking acid in chrome tanning.

• Printing and dyeing industry: Used as a reducing agent.

• Petroleum drilling fluid: Used for preparing drilling fluid with good stability and environmental friendliness.

• Snow melting agent: Used as an environmentally friendly snow melting agent.

• Other uses: Used for the production of sodium hydrosulfite, dimethylformamide, etc.

IV. Uses of Potassium Formate

• Petroleum drilling: Used for preparing drilling fluid and completion fluid, with good inhibition and oil layer protection effects.

• Agriculture: Used as a foliar fertilizer to promote crop growth and increase yield.

• Snow melting agent: Used for deicing and snow melting on roads and at airports.

• Leather and printing and dyeing industry: Used as a reducing agent.

• Cement slurry early strength agent: Used to improve the early strength of cement.

• Soil improvement: Used for improving saline-alkali land.