the present invention relates to new efficacious uses of 2 -( 2 - bromo - 2 - nitroethenyl )- furan ( bnef ) as a versatile chemical antimicrobial agent . bnef has been shown to be an extremely powerful antimicrobial agent . it is active at low levels against a broad spectrum of microorganisms including bacteria , such as gram negative bacteria such as pseudomonas aeruginosa , xanthomonas prunii , erwina anylovora , or escherichia coli , and gram positive bacteria such as bacillus megaterium , streptoccus pyogenes , clostridium botulium , or staphylococcus aureus : algae such as chlorella pyrenoidosa and other green algae , and blue - green algae : and fungi such as aspergillus niger , trichomonas vaginitis , alternaria solani , trichoderma , saccharomyces , and rhizoctania . bnef can be produced from furfural , an inexpensive biodegradable agricultural waste product . further , bnef is a strong chromophore and can therefore easily be detected . the invention also relates to a novel antimicrobial composition . the antimicrobial composition which exists in liquid form comprises a mixture of bnef and an inert carrier such as lower alcohol , tetrahyrdrofuran , tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol , n - methylpyrrolidone , and dimethylformamide . tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol has been found to be a particularly useful carrier . the mixture comprises 0 . 1 - 50 % w / v of bnef and 50 - 99 . 9 % w / v of carrier . more desirably , the composition comprises 1 - 50 % w / v of bnef and 50 - 99 % w / v of the carrier . most desirably , the composition comprises 20 % w / v of bnef and 80 % w / v of carrier . the invention also relates to a novel process of synthesizing bnef which eliminates the formation of nonbrominated nitroethenylfuran . the process entails contacting furfural , methylammonium hydrochloride and sodium carbonate in a polar solvent . a preferred solvent for us in this invention is ethanol . bromonitromethane is slowly added to the chilled reaction mixture . the preferred temperature range for the reaction is 0 °- 10 ° c . the reaction mixture is agitated until the furfural is consumed and then is acidified . the acidified reaction mixture is stirred until the dehydration is complete . after acidification the reaction mixture may be warmed gently to increase the rate of the dehydration step . in addition , the invention relates to a method of inhibiting microbial growth in an aqueous media by the addition of bnef . possible aqueous media include cooling water , pulp and paper making process flows , metal working fluids , air - washers , oilfield injection water and drilling muds , acrylic latex paint emulsions , adhesives and coatings , swimming pools and spas , and cosmetics . an antimicrobially effective amount of bnef is added to the aqueous media . an antimicrobially effective amount can be found in the range of approximately 0 . 5 parts per million ( ppm ) to 300 ppm . in general , bnef is a broad spectrum antimicrobial with a multitude of possible applications . the possible applications can be divided into four groups : nonoxidizing antimicrobial applications ; the biocidal applications ; applications as a synergist with both other nonoxidizing biocides and oxidizing biocides ; and other novel applications . possible nonoxidizing antimicrobial applications include but are not limited to : water treatment , pulp and paper manufacturing , metal working fluid preservation , fuel preservation , latex paint preservation , cosmetics preservation , and swimming pool and spas applications . bnef can be used in biocidal applications for mollusks such as corbicula ( clams ) and oncomelania bulinus ( snails ); for protozoa such as giardia and entamoeba and for fungi such as trichomonas vaginalis . further , bnef can be used in combination with other nonoxidizing biocides such as , for example , quarternary ammonium salts , isothiazolone biocides , dibromonitrilopropionamide ( dbnpa ), 2 - bromo - 2 - nitro - propane - 1 , 3 - diol , tributyltin oxide , triazine herbicides , 3 , 3 , 4 , 4 - tetrachloroterahydrothiophene 1 , 1 - dioxide , methylene bisthiocyanate , or with oxidizing biocides such as : chlorinated isocyanurates , halogenated hydantoins , hypochlorite liquids and solids , chlorine dioxide , hydrogen peroxide , peracetic acid , and ozone . the following example is given to illustrate the process of the invention and should not be construed as limiting its scope . 2 -( 2 - bromo - 2 - nitroethenyl )- furan with a reduced level of nonbrominated nitroethenylfuran was prepared in the following manner . furfural ( 1 mol , 96 . 09 grams ) methylammonium hydrochloride ( 0 . 1 mol , 6 . 7 grams ) and sodium carbonate ( 0 . 1 mol , 10 . 5 grams ) in 750 milliliters ethanol were placed in a 2 liter flask equipped with an overhead stirrer and an additional funnel . bromonitromethane ( 1 mol , 139 . 89 gram ) was added dropwise over a period of 45 minutes . the mixture was stirred for 25 hours at 5 ° centigrade . after being stirred , 750 milliliters of chilled water were added to the mixture to dissolve any undissolved salts . the mixture was then slowly added to 720 milliliters of cold 20 percent aqueous hydrochloric acid and the resulting solution was stirred for 2 hours at 5 ° centigrade . a dark oil separated from the solution ; the organic phase was separated and retained . the aqueous phase was extracted using methylene chloride . the solvent was driven off the extract on a rotary evaporator . the resultant oil was combined with the retained organic layer , and the combined organic phases were steam distilled . the solid product was filtered and recrystalized from ethanol . the product was obtained as bright , yellow crystals . it has been found that bnef is active against a broad spectrum of microorganisms . table 1 shows the minimum inhibitory concentrations against bacteria and algae for a number of biocidal compounds including bnef . the data illustrates bnef is active at very low concentrations . table 1______________________________________efficacy of 2 -( 2 - bromo - 2 - nitroethenyl ) furan and relatedcompounds against bacteria and algae in laboratorytests . minimum inhibitory conc ( ppm ) pseudomonas baccilus chlorellacompounds aeruginosa megaterium pyrenoidosa______________________________________furylethylene & gt ; 1000 & gt ; 1000 250 - 10003 -( 2 - furyl ) acrolein 250 - 500 250 - 500 16 - 632 - nitro - 1 - 63 - 125 63 - 125 16 - 63 ( 2 - furyl ) ethylene2 -( 2 - bromo - 2 - 5 - 10 5 - 10 4 - 16nitroethenyl ) furan5 - nitro - 2 - 6 - 12 3 - 6 4 - 16furaldehyde______________________________________ fig1 illustrates a decrease in the viability of pseudomonas aeruginosa , a common bacterial genus found in industrial cooling water upon contact with different concentrations of bnef . the experiment was performed in phosphate buffered water at a ph of 7 . 2 . as seen in the figure , the efficacy data indicate about 10 ppm of bnef is required to eliminate 99 . 9 % of the test inoculum after 6 hours of contact . bnef can also be used as an antimicrobial in pulp and paper manufacturing applications . fig2 shows results from the astm pulp and paper efficacy test ( astm e600 - 85 ). this laboratory test indicates that bnef is at least as active as two commercially successful antimicrobials currently used in this industry . in addition to pulp and paper manufacturing , bnef can be used as a metal working fluid preservative . test data show bnef is effective in three categories of metal working fluids ( soluble oil , semisynthetic , and synthetic ) against bacteria , as seen in fig3 and fungi . these tests were performed in the following manner . a typical soluble oil , semi - synthetic , and synthetic metalworking fluid were prepared with tap water at a ratio of 20 : 1 . a field sample of &# 34 ; spoiled &# 34 ; fluid was mixed with a nutrient broth ( 50 / 50 ) and incubated for 24 hours to serve as the bacterial inoculum . fungi isolated from metalworking fluids were grown on agar plates . the fungi were harvested into a suspension which then served as the fungal inoculum . at time zero , 50 ml aliquots of each fluid were prepared . the fluids were inoculated and dosed with the antimicrobial agent at different concentrations . time zero bacterial and fungal counts were taken on each control fluid . the samples were then placed on a mechanical shaker ( at room temperature ) for 72 hours . bacterial and fungal counts were then performed . the preferred level of bnef in this application is in the range of 10 to 100 ppm . bnef can also be used in water treatment such as for example treatment of industrial cooling water . fig4 shows the efficacy of bnef in industrial cooling water . as seen from the figure , approximately a 99 percent reduction in viability of naturally occurring microorganism in industrial cooling water can be achieved with the application of 5 ppm of bnef and 24 hours of contact . shorter contact times require a higher concentration of bnef in the application . preferably an antimicrobially effective amount of bnef should be added to reduce the viability of microorganisms by at least 90 percent . it is especially preferred to employ about 1 ppm to about 5 ppm of bnef . fig5 shows the kinetics of disinfection of 10 ppm ( w / v ) bnef in comparison to its styrene analogue , β - bromo - β - nitrostyrene , a successful commercial water treatment antimicrobial in a phosphate buffer at a ph of 7 . 0 . the data were analyzed statistically and demonstrate bnef is as effective as an antimicrobial in water treatment application as β - bromo - β - nitrostyrene . virtually all modern water treatment applications are alkaline . even in an alkaline condition , bnef is quite active . data in table 2 show the contact time of bnef required for a 99 . 9 % reduction in viability of pseudomonas aeruginosa in water . the data were acquired in the following manner . several pure culture cell suspensions of pseudomonas aeruginosa were prepared in phosphate - buffered water that had been adjusted to ph 7 . 0 or ph 8 . 1 . the initial concentration of viable cells was determined by counting colony forming - units in the standard spread plate method . a tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol ( thfa ) solution containing the antimicrobial ( 90 % thfa , 10 % antimicrobial ) was added to cell suspensions at each ph such that 10 ppm of the antimicrobial was dosed . similarly , thfa was added without antimicrobial to cell suspensions at each ph value to serve as no - treatment controls . the concentration of viable cells was then determined at regular time intervals for all of the cell suspensions until at least 99 . 9 % reduction in viability ( compared to the controls ) was achieved by the antimicrobial treatment . table 2______________________________________contact time of 10 ppm of2 -( 2 - bromo - 2 - nitroethenyl )- furan required for 99 . 9 % reduction in viability of pseudomonas aeruginosa inwater . initial cell required contactph concentration time ( 99 . 9 % reduction ) ______________________________________7 . 0 3 . 2 × 10 . sup . 4 5 hrs8 . 1 ˜ 1 . 0 × 10 . sup . 4 1 hrs______________________________________ the data in table 2 suggest that the disinfection rate for bnef at a concentration of 10 ppm is actually faster at a ph level of 8 as compared to the disinfection rate at a ph level of 7 . therefore , the effect of increased ph on the efficacy of bnef in water applications appears to be favorable . increased disinfection rate with higher ph is also found in β - bromo - β - nitrostyrene , a commercially successful analog of bnef . table 3 shows the minimum inhibitory concentration of bnef against various microorganisms , in addition to pseudomonas aeruginosa and bacillus megaterium discussed earlier , encountered in various water treatment applications . the data show the compound has a broad spectrum in its activity . all of the minimum inhibitory concentration determinations were made in a nutrient - rich growth medium in the following manner . each organism was inoculated into a nutrient - rich medium that supported its growth . various concentrations of a solution of the antimicrobial in thfa ( 90 % thfa , 10 % antimicrobial ) were dosed into the inoculated growth medium ; inoculated media were also dosed only with thfa ( no antimicrobial ) to serve as controls . two concentrations of antimicrobial were recorded for each organism after growth in the controls was visible ( the lowest concentration that prevented growth and the highest concentration that allowed growth ); the mic is reported as the range between these concentrations . the data in table 3 are significant because they show an extraordinary spectrum of activity for this antimicrobial ; broad - spectrum of activity is clearly an advantage for applications of industrial antimicrobials . table 3______________________________________minimum inhibitory concentration against variousmicoorganisms . organism type of microorganism mic ( ppm ) ______________________________________staphylococcus bacterium 3 . 0 - 7 . 6aureusxanthomonas bacterium 2 . 0 - 5 . 0pruniixanthomonas bacterium 1 . 0 - 2 . 0palargoniixanthomonas bacterium 0 . 5 - 1 . 0poinsettiacolaerwina bacterium 0 . 5 - 1 . 0chysanthemierwina bacterium & lt ; 0 . 5anylovoraerwina bacterium 0 . 5 - 1 . 0caratovoraagrobacterium bacterium 0 . 5 - 1 . 0tumefaciensphotobacterium bacterium 1 . 0 - 5 . 0phosphoreumdesulfovibro bacterium & lt ; 2 . 0desulfuricansalternaria fungus & lt ; 1 . 0solaniasperillus fungus & lt ; 1 . 0nigersaccharomyces fungus ( yeast ) & lt ; 3 . 0sp . trichoderma fungus & lt ; 5 . 0virderhizoctonia fungus & lt ; 1 . 0sp . chlorella algae 4 - 16pyrenoidosa______________________________________ the following analogues of 2 -( 2 - bromo - 2 - nitroethenyl )- furan listed in table 4 , have been synthesized and tested for antimicrobial efficacy . all of these compounds are active in the low ppm range against pseudomonas aeruginosa . these compounds were also tested in the pulp and paper astm efficacy test and shown to be active at low levels . none of the compounds tested appear to be more active than 2 -( 2 - bromo - 2 - nitroethenyl )- furan . table 4______________________________________minimum inhibitory concentration of2 -( 2 - bromo - 2 - nitroethenyl )- furan analogues againstpseudomonas aeruginosa mic * against pseudomonascompound aeruginosa ( ppm ) ______________________________________5 - nitro - 8 - 162 -( 2 - bromo - 2 - nitroethenyl )- furan5 - bromo - 10 - 202 -( 2 - bromo - 2 - nitroethenyl )- furan5 - methyl - 21 - 422 -( 2 - bromo - 2 - nitroethenyl )- furan2 -( 2 - bromo - 2 - nitroethenyl )- thiophene 21 - 42______________________________________ * mic -- minimum inhibitory concentration
2 -- furan can be used as an antimicrobial in broad spectrum of uses . a novel process for preparing 2 -- furan has been found in which furfural is reacted with bromonitromethane using a primary amine or primary amine salt as a catalytic agent to produce an intermediate product which is dehydrated in the presence of acid to the desired product . an antimicrobial composition comprising 2 -- furan and a carrier is also disclosed .