How Chemical Additives Boost the Effectiveness of Rodent Poisons

A 1953 chemical invention that combines 2-acyl 1,3-indandione with EDTA to create a more effective rodenticide.

What it covers

The patent describes a chemical mixture designed to kill rodents more efficiently. It combines an alkali metal salt of 2-acyl 1,3-indandione, which acts as the toxic agent, with an alkali metal salt of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA). The EDTA acts as a stabilizing or enhancing agent within the composition. By mixing these two specific components, the composition aims to improve the lethality or stability of the poison when ingested by rodents.

What it doesn't cover

• —Does not cover rodenticides that do not use the specific combination of 2-acyl 1,3-indandione and EDTA
• —Does not cover mechanical traps or non-chemical methods of rodent control
• —Does not cover the use of EDTA for non-rodenticidal purposes such as water softening or medical chelation therapy

The clever bit

The invention recognizes that adding a chelating agent like EDTA to a specific indandione-based toxin can improve its performance, likely by preventing the degradation of the active ingredient or enhancing its bioavailability.

Why it matters

This patent represents mid-20th-century efforts to refine chemical pest control. It highlights the use of chemical additives to stabilize or potentiate active ingredients, a common strategy in the development of agricultural and household pesticides during that era.

Real-world examples

• 1.Historical rodenticide formulations from the 1950s
• 2.Chemical pest control products using indandione derivatives