GB492660A - Improvements in or relating to the manufacture of complex nicotine products and of insecticidal and fungicidal preparations comprising the same - Google Patents

Abstract

Complex compounds containing nicotine and copper are prepared by interaction in aqueous solution of nicotine or a nicotine salt with a soluble stable copper salt and a third compound, preferably a cyanide, thiocyanate, selenocyanate or iodide, capable of reacting with the copper salt. The products, which precipitate at ordinary temperature from the aqueous solution, are stable in the air and relatively water-insoluble; by adding soluble salts of mercury, zinc, tin, cobalt or nickel, these metals may be incorporated in the complexes. The products may be made up into insecticidal and fungicidal preparations by mixing them with, or co-precipitating them upon, solid diluents, fillers or other insecticides or fungicides, e.g. lead arsenate, Bordeaux mixture, cuprous oxide or derris preparations, or by the addition of a liquid diluent or dispersing agent which may itself have insecticidal or fungicidal properties. Thus, sulphite lye may be mixed with 1/8 to 2 per cent of its weight of the nicotine-copper complex; for use as a spray solution it is diluted with water until 2 to 8 ozs. nicotine are present per 100 gallons. In examples, (1) an aqueous copper sulphate solution is poured into a solution of nicotine and sodium cyanide, and the green flocculent precipitate filtered off and dried; (2) nicotine is added to a solution of copper sulphate and a solution of sodium thiocyanate stirred in until precipitation is complete; the precipitate dries to a chocolate-coloured powder; (3) an aqueous solution of copper sulphate is added to a solution of nicotine and potassium iodide, and the precipitate dried to brown granules; (4) a solution containing copper sulphate and mercuric chloride is mixed with a solution of nicotine and potassium iodide and the light green precipitate dried. The Provisional Specification also mentions cadmium and aluminium as additional metals that may be present.ALSO:Complex compounds of nicotine and copper, which may also contain mercury, zinc, tin, cobalt or nickel, are made up into insecticidal and fungicidal preparations by mixing them with, or coprecipitating them upon, solid diluents, fillers or other insecticides or fungicides, e.g. lead arsenate, Bordeaux mixture, cuprous oxide or derris preparations, or by the addition of a liquid diluent or dispersing agent which may itself have insecticidal or fungicidal properties. Thus, sulphite lye may be mixed with 1/8 to 2 per cent of its weight of the nicotine-copper complex; for use as a spray, it is diluted with water until 2 to 8 ozs. nicotine are present per 100 gallons. The Provisional Specification also mentions cadmium and aluminium as additional metals that may be present.