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Journal of Wood Science

Official Journal of the Japan Wood Research Society

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Spectrophotometric assay of a wood preservative, didecyldimethylammonium chloride (DDAC), in aqueous solution

Journal of Wood Science volume 56, pages 314–318 (2010)Cite this article

Abstract

A spectrophotometric assay based on the color reaction between didecyldimethylammonium chloride (DDAC) and 4-[4-(dipropylamino)phenylazo]-benzenesulfonic acid (propyl orange) was used for the determination of DDAC as a wood preservative. The assay was carried out using a propyl orange solution at pH 2.9. The visible absorbance spectrum of propyl orange showed an absorbance maximum at 510 nm, which decreased continuously with increasing DDAC concentration from 0 to 20 ppm. A linear correlation was observed at a DDAC concentration lower than 8 ppm. To apply this assay method to determine DDAC retention in treated wood, the influence of wood extractives on the assay was investigated. Wood extractives from sapwood and heartwood of Japanese cedar, Hinoki cypress, Japanese larch, and Western hemlock showed no influence on DDAC determination except in the case of heartwood from Japanese cedar and Hinoki cypress, which gave apparent DDAC concentrations higher than the actual values. However, it was also found that absorbance measurement at 477 nm solved this overestimation and gave precise values. It was concluded that this assay is a viable alternative to the current methods for DDAC determination.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, 1 Matsunosato, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8687, Japan

    Ikuo Momohara, Atsushi Kato & Takeshi Nishimura

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  1. Ikuo Momohara
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  2. Atsushi Kato
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  3. Takeshi Nishimura
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Correspondence to Ikuo Momohara.

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Momohara, I., Kato, A. & Nishimura, T. Spectrophotometric assay of a wood preservative, didecyldimethylammonium chloride (DDAC), in aqueous solution. J Wood Sci 56, 314–318 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10086-009-1102-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10086-009-1102-9

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