The Production of Formic Acid

Formic Acid Production From Methanol

Methanol is made inside our bodies from normal metabolic processes. It also enters the body from fruits and vegetables and their juices. In addition, humans produce methanol as well as aspartic acid and phenylalanine from the breakdown of aspartame, an artificial sweetener. Methanol is toxic, but most of us don't encounter enough of the chemical to be harmed.

Inside our bodies, methanol is converted to formaldehyde, which is classified as a probable human carcinogen (cancer causer). However, the formaldehyde is rapidly transformed into formic acid and doesn’t collect in the body. The acid then leaves the body in urine or is changed into carbon dioxide and water.

Scientists say that the production of formic acid from methanol in humans only becomes a problem if there is a large amount of methanol in the body, as there would be in methanol poisoning. In this situation, enough formic acid could be made to create a condition called acidosis. Symptoms of acidosis may include vision problems, blindness, memory loss, confusion, seizures, coma, low blood pressure, and cardiac arrest.

Methanol Production From Aspartame

We can’t avoid the normal creation of methanol in our bodies or its entry into the body from healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables, which should be part of our diet. We can control whether we want to add to the methanol load by ingesting foods or drinks sweetened by aspartame.

The use of aspartame is controversial. However, health agencies say that a person’s normal exposure to methanol, including the methanol produced from aspartame, is too low to cause health problems. They also say that aspartame is safe, provided the Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) of 40 mg/kg body weight is not exceeded. There are claims that aspartame makes the symptoms of certain health disorders worse, but at the moment there is no scientific evidence to support these claims.

There is one situation in which aspartame is known to be harmful. Aspartame should not be consumed by people suffering from a genetic disorder called phenylketonuria. A person suffering from this disorder is unable to create the enzyme that changes phenylalanine into tyrosine. As a result, phenylalanine accumulates in the body. People with phenylketonuria must follow a low phenylalanine diet to avoid brain damage. Since aspartame breakdown produces phenylalanine, the sweetener should be avoided.

Formic Acid in Space

Scientists think that formic acid may have played a role in the origin of life on Earth. The acid was first found in interstellar space in 1970 and has been found in meteorites that have reached Earth. The meteorites containing the acid include the Tagish Lake one, which landed in northern British Columbia in 2000. Its arrival was a major news story in the province. Formic acid has a relatively simple structure and may have been involved in the formation of the more complicated amino acid and nucleic acid molecules found in living things.

Amino acids are the building blocks of the proteins inside living things. Nucleic acids are the building blocks of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) and RNA (ribonucleic acid). The DNA contains genetic instructions for making our bodies and for controlling its functions. It's located in the nucleus of cells. The code in the DNA "tells" the body which proteins to make. RNA exists as several types and has vital roles in the body. These include reading the DNA's instructions for making proteins, transporting these instructions out of the nucleus to the site of protein synthesis in the cell, and then enabling the cell to make the proteins.

The origin of life is a fascinating topic to consider. The idea that chemicals were brought to the early Earth via meteorites is often suggested. It's interesting that such a simple chemical as formic acid is important in nature and in our lives today and may have been even more important in the distant past. Chemistry as it applies to living things is a fascinating topic to explore.