A chemical compound formed by reacting chlorine with formic acid or its derivatives, used in organic synthesis.
From 'chloro-' + 'formate' (a salt or ester of formic acid). Formic acid gets its name from Latin 'formica' (ant), as it was originally isolated from ant secretions.
Chloroformates are extremely reactive chemicals used to add chlorine groups to other molecules in labs—chemists handle them with extreme care because they react vigorously with water and organic compounds.
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