Formamide appears as a colorless liquid with a faint odor of ammonia. Denser than water. Freezing point 36°F. (USCG, 1999) Formamide is the simplest monocarboxylic acid amide, obtained by formal condensation of formic acid with ammonia. The parent of the class of formaldehydes. It has a role as a solvent. It is a monocarboxylic acid amide, a one-carbon compound and a member of formamides. It derives from a formic acid. It is a tautomer of a formimidic acid.

Formamide exhibits active reactivity and unique solvency. It can be used as a raw material for organic synthesis, a paper treatment agent, a softener in the fiber industry, a softener for animal glues, and also as an analytical reagent for the determination of amino acid content in rice.

In organic synthesis, it is mainly used in pharmaceuticals, and also has many applications in pesticides, dyes, pigments, fragrances and additives.It is used as an intermediate in the synthesis of imidazole, pyrimidine, 1,3,5-triazine, caffeine, theophylline and theobromine.It serves as a raw material for dyes, fragrances, pigments, adhesives, textile auxiliaries, paper treatment agents, etc., and is also a raw material for the production of formic acid and dimethylformamide.