In 1953 Stanley Miller tested a hypothesis put forward by A.I. Oparin and, later, J.B.S. Haldane concerning the origin of life. The classic experiment is frequently cited in the popular literature and programing as evidence supporting the formation of primitive cellular organisms from polypeptides that self-organized over millions of years. Yet many of the reaction products from Miller’s experiment are more problematic for the model than advocates readily admit. Among these is formic acid, reportedly present at about double the combined concentrations of identified amino acids including glycine, alanine, aspartic acid, and glutamic acid. Formic acid can produce a significant negative impact on the formation and stability of components such as a hypothetical polypeptide. Consequently, advocates of the Oparin-Haldane-Miller theory are faced with an acute problem. The present paper explores the reaction chemistry of aqueous formic acid and an imaginary polypeptide assumed to be present in the primordial ocean.