Ammonium formate

1,2,4-Oxadiazole is a heterocycle with wide reactivity and many useful applications. The reactive O-N bond is usually reduced using molecular hydrogen to obtain amidine derivatives. NH4CO2H-Pd/C is here demonstrated as a new system for the O-N reduction, allowing us to obtain differently substituted acylamidine, acylguanidine and diacylguanidine derivatives. The proposed system is also effective for the achievement of a reductive rearrangement of 5-(2'-aminophenyl)-1,2,4-oxadiazoles into 1-alkylquinazolin-4(1H)-ones. The alkaloid glycosine was also obtained with this method. The obtained compounds were preliminarily tested for their biological activity in terms of their cytotoxicity, induced oxidative stress, α-glucosidase and DPP4 inhibition, showing potential application as anti-diabetics.

While solid and liquid energy carriers are advantageous due to their high energy density, many do not meet the efficiency requirements to outperform hydrogen. In this work, we investigate ammonium formate as an energy carrier. It can be produced economically via a simple reaction of ammonia and formic acid, and it is safe to transport and store because it is solid under ambient conditions. We demonstrate an electrochemical cell that decomposes ammonium formate at 105 °C, where it is an ionic liquid. Here, hydrogen evolves at the cathode and formate oxidizes at the anode, both with ca. 100% Faradaic efficiency. Under the operating conditions, ammonia evaporates before it can oxidize; a second, modular device such as an ammonia fuel cell or combustion engine is necessary for complete oxidation. Overall, this system represents an alternative class of electrochemical fuel ionic liquids where the electrolyte is majority fuel, and it results in a modular release of hydrogen with potentially zero net-carbon emissions.

Following a request from the European Commission, the Panel on Additives and Products or Substances used in Animal Feed (FEEDAP) was asked to deliver a scientific opinion on the safety of ammonium formate for all animal species. In 2015, the FEEDAP Panel delivered an opinion on the safety and efficacy of ammonium formate, calcium formate and sodium formate. In that opinion, the Panel considered the unavoidable presence of formamide, as a contaminant of ammonium formate, of concern for developmental toxicity for reproduction animals and for carcinogenicity for non-food-producing animals. Regarding the safety for the consumer, the Panel concluded that: the use of the additive in dairy animals and laying poultry may raise concerns due to the potential exposure of consumers to formamide. In the current submission, the applicant proposed to reduce the maximum content of ammonium formate in feed to 2,000 mg formic acid equivalent/kg feed from the previously proposed 12,000 mg/kg for pigs and 10,000 mg/kg for all other animal species. Based on the calculation of the maximum safe concentration of formamide in feed, the FEEDAP Panel cannot conclude on the safety of ammonium formate in complete feed for laying hens and sows, since the calculate maximum concentration of formamide in feed (11.5 mg formamide/kg) exceed the maximum safe concentration in feed for these species (5.6 mg formamide/kg for laying hens and 9.9 mg formamide/kg for sows). Based on the results of a residue study in eggs, the use of ammonium formate in animal nutrition at a maximum content of 2,000 mg formic acid equivalent/kg complete feed would not result in concerns on the safety for the consumer.