11B magnetic resonance imaging and MAS spectroscopy of trimethylborate-treated radiata pine wood.

Boron-11 nuclear magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy have been used to characterise the nature and distribution of boron compounds after preservative treatment of radiata pine wood with trimethylborate (TMB). One day after treatment, 11B magnetic resonance imaging microscopy showed significant differences in the morphological distribution of boron species, with there apparently being no treatment penetration of the latewood. 11B MAS NMR spectroscopy of freshly preservative-treated radiata pine wood, which had been separated into latewood and earlywood, showed the only boron species present in the latewood to be boric acid while in the earlywood both TMB and boric acid were initially present. Due to quadrupolar broadening and a short T2 value, the boric acid signal relaxed too quickly to be observable and this caused the apparent lack of 11B in the image when only boric acid was present. TMB undergoes hydrolysis to form boric acid and in radiata pine latewood, this hydrolysis reaction is rapid.