A comparison of the leaching resistance of diammine-copper complexes and copper carbonate precipitated in wood
IRG/WP 97-30158
Xiao Jiang, J N R Ruddick
Previous studies have shown that during treatment of wood with ammoniacal copper solutions, both simple copper precipitates and diammine-copper complexes are formed. The objective of the present study is to determine the relative importance of both forms of copper, on such aspects as preservative leachability and biological performance. In the current experiment, the leachability of copper carbonate precipitated in wood is compared with that of diammine-copper complexes. The results confirmed that both forms of copper resisted leaching by distilled water. However, when exposed to the more aggressive leaching conditions using the sodium citrate buffered solution, the diammine-copper complexes were significantly more ressistant to removal from the wood. Further studies are planned to examine the diammine-copper complexes present in the wood as well as the efficacy of these complexes against wood decay fungi.