Quaternary ammonium arylspiroborate esters as organo-soluble, environmentally benign wood protectants

As part of a larger project aimed at the development of leach resistant boron-based wood preservatives, the anti-fungal and termiticidal activities, and the resistance to leaching from timber, of three related tetra-n-butylammonium spiroborates, tetra-n-butylammonium bis(ortho-hydroxymethylphenolato)borate 2, tetra-n-butylammonium bis[catecholato(2-)-O,O']borate 3, and tetra-n-butylammonium bis[salicylato(2-)-O,O']borate 4, have been examined. All three borates are found to be active against test organisms, with the following orders of activity being observed: 2 > 3 > 4 > boric acid against wood decay fungi, and 2 > 3 approximate to 4 > boric acid against termites. The most active compound in both assays 2 also has the highest calculated lipophilicity. In a test for permanence in wood, the following order of leach resistance is observed: 4 >> 3 approximate to 2 > boric acid. This order appears to correlate more closely with the stability constants of the borate esters, as determined using B-11 NMR spectroscopy, rather than calculated lipophilicities.