Question

Give the name of
(a)${\text{HCOOC}}{{\text{H}}_{\text{3}}}$
(b)${\text{HCHO}}$

Answer 1

Hint: The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) nomenclature for organic chemistry is a system for naming organic chemical compounds. It is in the Journal of Organic Chemistry's Nomenclature (informally called the Blue Book). Any conceivable organic compound should, in theory, have a name that can be translated into an unambiguous structural formula.

Complete step-by-step answer:
(a)${\text{HCOOC}}{{\text{H}}_{\text{3}}}$
The given compound is methyl methanoate.
The methyl ester of formic acid is methyl formate, also known as methyl methanoate. It's a colourless liquid with an ethereal odour, high vapour pressure, and low surface tension, and it's the most basic example of an ester. It's a precursor to a slew of other commercially valuable compounds.
Methyl formate has a long history of use in refrigeration, which has drawn some attention to it. Methyl formate was used as a substitute for sulphur dioxide in domestic refrigerators until the advent of less-toxic refrigerants, such as some versions of the popular GE Monitor Top.

(b)${\text{HCHO}}$
The given compound is methanal.
The pure compound formaldehyde, also known as methane, is a pungent-smelling colourless gas that spontaneously polymerizes into paraformaldehyde, which is why it is stored as an aqueous solution (formalin).
Formaldehyde is a naturally occurring chemical that serves as an “important intermediate in the cellular metabolism of mammals and humans."

Note: Dr. Harvey W. Wiley's popular 'Poison Squad' as part of the US Department of Agriculture investigated formaldehyde, one of the chemicals used in $19^{th}$ century industrialised food processing. The $1906$ Pure Food and Drug Act was enacted as a result of this. In the early history of food control in the United States, this was a significant moment.