When a red ant bites or stings, it injects an irritating acidic liquid into the skin, causing pain, swelling, and a burning sensation. The primary acid responsible for this is Formic Acid, officially known in IUPAC nomenclature as Methanoic Acid.
The Nettle plant leaves inject methanoic acid causing a painful sting. Amazingly, nature provides the cure right next to it: the Dock plant, which has basic juices, almost always grows wild right next to Nettle plants in the forest. Rubbing dock leaves neutralizes the nettle sting!
The word 'Formic' comes from the Latin word 'Formica', which translates to 'ant'. Early chemists first isolated this acid in the late 17th century by distilling large numbers of dead ants!
The stinging apparatus of an ant is located at the back of its abdomen. When it stings, it pierces the skin and pumps the formic acid venom into the wound.
The human body reacts to this foreign acid by releasing histamines, which cause the surrounding blood vessels to expand. This inflammatory response is what causes the skin to turn red, swell up into a bump, and itch intensely.
Because the venom is an acid, you can apply a mild base (alkali) to the skin to neutralize it through a chemical neutralisation reaction.
Best home remedies:
Note: Do not scratch the bite, as it spreads the acid under the skin and can lead to a bacterial infection.
Formic acid is not unique to ants. It is also found in the stings and defense mechanisms of:
**No!** Lemon juice contains citric acid. Applying acid on top of the formic acid injected by the ant will only increase the burning sensation. You must use a base, like baking soda.
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