Wood preservation facilities, alkaline copper quaternary: chapter G-2

2. Physical and Chemical Properties

Copper and quat, the two active components of ACQ, are used because of their biocidal and insecticidal properties and their ability to be retained by wood for long-term protection. Ammonia or amine are used as solvent carriers along with water and are deposited in the wood cells. The physical and chemical properties of ACQ-C and ACQ-D and its constituents are outlined in Tables 2.0, 2.1 and 2.2. (4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)

General physical and chemical properties can be obtained from manufacturers’ material safety data sheets (MSDS) and from labels for pesticide products. Electronic copies of the pesticide label can be obtained from the Health Canada website (4).