Developments in Microbicides for the Protection of Materials

Abstract

Today, the development of microbicides which satisfy the demands of our civilization with its heightened perception of environmental protection is a major task in maintaining functionality and quality of susceptible high-quality materials. For that purpose one utilizes the possibility to incorporate various toxophoric groups as well as toxophoric structural elements into a wide variety of molecules, which then make use of their specific properties to transport the toxophors to their site of activity, the microbial cell. The following toxophoric groups and structural elements and their mechanisms of action are examined: methylol groups, activated halogen groups, vinyl groups in a, β-position to an electronegative group and activated N-S bonds. It is shown that the knowledge of the mechanisms of activity of antimicrobials as well as of the structure and functioning of the various species of microbes allows the tailoring of microbicides which are adapted to the intended use and the species of microbes to be combatted.