Performic

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Describing a chemical substance or process connected with performic acid, a strong oxidizing agent made from formic acid and hydrogen peroxide
2. Relating to the chemical compound performic acid, which is formed by mixing formic acid with hydrogen peroxide
3. Of or involving performic acid, a powerful oxidizing compound used in chemistry to modify or break down certain molecules

Etymology: Performic is a chemistry term built from two shorter words: "peroxy" and "formic." Its ancestor, "formic," comes from Latin "formica," meaning "ant," because formic acid was first obtained by distilling ants. "Performic" blends "peroxy," the prefix signalling an oxygen-rich group, with "formic," producing a name for a compound in which formic acid carries extra oxygen atoms. The result is a rare, specialised adjective that chemists use to describe performic acid, a strong oxidising agent made by mixing formic acid with hydrogen peroxide. The word therefore carries the ant's name into a laboratory context, and the blend shows how chemists label compounds by joining the name of a parent substance to a descriptor of its modification.