Phenyl urea pesticide, solid

There are thousands of available pesticides broad-based to combat a large number of pests or narrowly focused to combat individual species and leave others unharmed. They include a range of chemicals, almost all of which are toxic to both the pest and humans, including  

Pesticides may be solid, liquid, or gaseous. They may be applied to crops, soils, seeds and grain, fabrics, etc., as dust, smoke, dispersions, emulsions, or solutions. Fumigants are gases, volatile chemicals, or mixtures of pesticides in a volatile liquid, often petroleum or coal tar distillates. They are most effective in enclosed environments where penetration to all points is assured. Fumigants include hydrogen cyanide, methyl bromide, carbolic acid, hydrocyanic acid, and chloropicrin. 

Historically, almost every chemical or compound known to be toxic has been tried and used to inhibit the action of wood-destroying pests. Among the many chemicals used as wood preservatives are compounds based on creosote, mercury, arsenic, thallium, borate, cyanide, chromium, copper, zinc, nickel, fluorides, and pentachlorophenol. The majority fall into 3 classes  

Petroleum distillates play an extensive role in wood preservation as solvents and diluents for the active ingredient but appear to have little or no preservative value. Many light petroleum solvents and gases deliver the preservative and help it penetrate into the wood before evaporating. 

Related Terms Aerosol, see Aerosols, p.3 Alkaloids, see Alkaloids, p.7 Compounds, see Terminology, Compound, p.234 

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