The Barrier to Proton Transfer in the Dimer of Formic Acid: A Pure Rotational Study

The rotational spectra of three C‐deuterated isotopologues of the dimer of formic acid have been measured, thanks to the small dipole moment induced by asymmetric H→D substitution(s). For the DCOOH–HCOOH species, the concerted double proton transfer of the two hydroxy hydrogen atoms takes place between two equivalent minima and generates a tunneling splitting of 331.2(6) MHz. This splitting can be reproduced by a 3D model with a barrier of 2559 cm^?1 (30.6 kJ mol^?1) as obtained from theoretical calculations.     

Transition‐Metal‐Free Acceptorless Decarbonylation of Formic Acid Enabled by a Liquid Chemical‐Looping Strategy

The selective decarbonylation of formic acid was achieved under transition‐metal‐free conditions. Using a liquid chemical‐looping strategy, the thermodynamically favored dehydrogenation of formic acid was shut down, yielding a pure stream of CO with no H₂ or CO₂ contamination. The transformation involves a two‐step sequence where methanol is used as a recyclable looping agent to yield methylformate, which is subsequently decomposed to carbon monoxide using alkoxides as catalysts.