High-performance liquid chromatographic analysis of preservative-treated timber for 2-(thiocyanomethylthio)benzothiazole and methylene bisthiocyanate

Abstract

Preservative-treated timber was quantitatively analysed for 2-(thiocyanomethylthio)benzothiazole and methylene bisthiocyanate by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography on Novapak C₁₈, with UV detection at 280 and 220 nm. The extraction step involved 3 h of Soxhlet extraction or heated ultrasonic agitation of solid blocks in 19 + 81 methanol-acetonitrile azeotrope, for recoveries of 90–100%, dependent on the timber species and preservative carrier. In the absence of any sample clean-up, the RSD was 2–4% in two timber species. The method is suitable for processing large batches of sapwood samples treated with dilute emulsions, organic solvent solutions, or gel diffusion formulations.