Formic Acid (HCOOH)

Simplest carboxylic acid; found in ant stings. Shows carbonyl + hydroxyl. Teaching note: figures illustrate qualitative electronic structure; quantitative benchmarking should use larger bases, dispersion, and experimental structures.

Geometry
Planar (carbonyl)
Polarity
Polar
Bond angle
~120° (C=O)
Hybridisation
sp2 (C)
VSEPR
AX3
Bonds
1 C=O + 1 C–OH + 1 C–H
Molecular orbitals
18 valence electrons; C=O π bond + C–O σ + O–H.
SMILES
OC=O

Electron density: spin-paired GPAW (PBE) on an isolated gas-phase geometry; molecular orbitals: restricted mean-field RHF with sto-3g in PySCF unless noted.

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