Various zinc and copper compounds exhibiting biocidal activity are known in the art, in particular, zinc and copper oxides and inorganic salts (U.S. Pat. No. 5,540,954, A01N 59/16, A01N 59/20, B27K 3/52, B05D 07/06, A01N 31/08, A01N 31/00, 1996; U.S. Pat. No. 6,858,658, A01N 59/20, A01N 59/16, C09D 5/16, C08K 03/10, C08K 03/18, C08K 03/22, 2005; US 20080219944, C09D 5/16, 2008; US 20090223108, C09D 5/16, C09D 5/14, 2009), zinc and copper naphthenates or resinates (EP 2161316, C09D 133/06, C09D 133/12, C09D 143/04, C09D 5/16, C09D 7/12, 2010; EP 2360214, C09D 143/04, C09D 193/04, C09D 5/16, 2011; U.S. Pat. No. 4,258,090, C04B 41/45, C04B 41/52, C04B 41/60, C04B 41/70, B05D 03/02, 1981), ammonia complexes of zinc salts (U.S. Pat. No. 5,460,644, C08K 3/10, C08K 3/00, C09D 5/14, C09D 5/00, 1995), zinc and copper pyrithionates—bis-(2-(pyridylthio)-1,1′-dioxides (U.S. Pat. No. 5,185,033, C09D 5/14, C09D 5/16, 1993; U.S. Pat. No. 5,298,061, C09D 5/16, C09D 5/14, 1994; U.S. Pat. No. 5,717,007, C09D 5/16, C08L 33/10, C08K 05/17, C08K 05/18, 1998; U.S. Pat. No. 6,399,560, A01N 43/40, A01N 43/34, A61L 2/18, C11D 3/48, 2002; U.S. Pat. No. 7,410,553, D21C 5/02, B32B 27/04, D21G 1/02, 2008). The above mentioned compounds were used with various degrees of efficiency as additives to coatings intended for treatment of building structures, prevention of underwater structures and ship parts from fouling as well as paper and wood treatment.
Zinc salt with acetic and methacrylic acids, i.e. zinc methacrylate-acetate (hereinafter referred to as ZMA) exhibiting a certain biocidal activity when compounded with aqueous styrene-acrylic dispersion being used as polymer pruner for applying paint coatings to various surfaces is also known (RU 2315793, C09D 5/14, C09D 131/02, C09D 133/10, 2008).
The closest analogues of the proposed compounds are zinc or copper (II) salts with two acids one of which is acrylic or methacrylic acid and the other is aliphatic carboxylic acid selected from the group including propionic, capronic (hexanoic), caprilic (octanoic), palmitic (hexadecanoic), linolic (octadecadienoic), oleic (octadecenoic), stearic (octadecanoic), nonadecanoic acids. The above compounds are known from ACS on STN (RN 71502-44-8, 177957-21-0, 299216-74-3, 299216-75-4, 299410-52-9, 299217-71-3, 299410-54-1, 299217-78-0, 299217-75-7, 299217-73-5, 299216-77-6, 299216-70-9, 299216-72-1, 561007-33-8) and can be described by the general formula:

wherein M-Zn or Cu,
R1—H or CH3,
R2—C2H5, C5H11, C7H15, C15H31, C17H31, C17H33, C17H35, C18H37.
The data on the biological activity of these compounds are not available.