Search

A series of 3-phenyl benzo[d][1,2,3]triazin-4(3H)-one derivatives were synthesized through the condensation of phenol E and alkyl (alkenyl, alkynyl) chlorides (bromides, iodide) or alkyl chloroacetates or N-alkyl chloroacetamides using K2CO3 as the acid acceptor in N,N-dimethylformamide. Phenol E was prepared from starting material, 5-amino-2-chloro-4-fluorophenyl ethyl carbonate, in four steps involving in amidation, reduction, diazotization, and deprotecting-group reaction. The herbicidal activities of the title compounds were tested against two dicotyledonous plants and two monocotyledonous plants, in which some of them exhibited high herbicidal activities against two dicotyledonous plants in preemergence and postemergence treatments. Moreover, when the dosage was decreased to 180 and 90 g/ha, compounds F1, F8, and F9 showed highly selective inhibitory activities against amaranth pigweed, alfalfa, asteraceae, field sowthistle, morning glory, purslane, and velvetleaf in postemergence treatment but had no herbicidal efficacy on rape except F1, suggesting that it be possible to find a kind of herbicides to inhibit dicotyledonous weeds in the field of dicotyledonous crops with the same genus as aforementioned weeds.

A variety of 3-N-substituted amino-6-benzyloxypyridazine derivatives were designed and synthesized in satisfactory yields. Their structures were confirmed by IR, 1H-NMR, and elemental analysis; compound 5j was further determined by X-ray diffraction crystallography. Their herbicidal activities were evaluated through barnyard grass and rape cup tests in laboratory bioassays. Most of the title compounds 5 displayed moderate herbicidal activities against the dicotyledonous plant Brassica campestris L. The most active compounds in the laboratory were also evaluated in the greenhouse.

Protein-protein complexes play an important role in the physiology and the pathology of cellular functions, and therefore are attractive therapeutic targets. A small subset of residues known as “hot spots”, accounts for most of the protein-protein binding free energy. Computational methods play a critical role in identifying the hotspots on the proteinprotein interface. In this paper, we use a computational alanine scanning method with all-atom force fields for predicting hotspots for 313 mutations in 16 protein complexes of known structures. We studied the effect of force fields, solvation models, and conformational sampling on the hotspot predictions. We compared the calculated change in the protein-protein interaction energies upon mutation of the residues in and near the protein-protein interface, to the experimental change in free energies. The AMBER force field (FF) predicted 86% of the hotspots among the three commonly used FF for proteins, namely, AMBER FF, Charmm27 FF, and OPLS-2005 FF. However, AMBER FF also showed a high rate of false positives, while the Charmm27 FF yielded 74% correct predictions of the hotspot residues with low false positives. Van der Waals and hydrogen bonding energy show the largest energy contribution with a high rate of prediction accuracy, while the desolvation energy was found to contribute little to improve the hot spot prediction. Using a conformational ensemble including limited backbone movement instead of one static structure leads to better predicttion of hotpsots.

A computer-assisted retention prediction system (RPS) of fifteen O-ethyl O-aryl N-isopropyl phosphoramidothioates (1) in reversed-phase HPLC was investigated. The system is based on the use of four physicochemical parameters (hydrophobicity II, electric effect σ, field effect F and steric effect Es) which is closely related to the retention mechanism in reversed-phase HPLC. The system was evaluated by comparing the measured retention data with the predicted ones. The predicted values were consistent with the measured values within a relative error of 11.5%.

A series of 3 H-pyrazolo[3,4-d][1,2,3]triazin-4-one derivatives were synthesized as candidate herbicides by diazotization of different 5(3)-amino- N-phenyl-1 H-pyrazole-4-carboxamide derivatives prepared by the reaction of substituted 5(3)-amino-pyrazole-4-carbonyl chloride with a substituted aniline. Their structures were identified by (1)H NMR and elemental analyses. The isomers D and E were isolated, and their structures were identified by two-dimensional NMR analyses (heteronuclear single quantum coherence and heteronuclear multiple-bond correlation) and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The bioassay results showed that some of the title compounds exhibited both excellent herbicidal activity at a dose of 93.75 g/ha and strong inhibition against protoporphyrinogen oxidase activity in vitro. The structure-activity relationship showed that D16 possessed the highest activities both in vivo and in vitro when the N-substituted group of the pyrazole ring was allyl and the N-substituted group of benzooxazinone was propargyl.

4-(3-Trifluoromethylphenyl)pyridazine is a new series of compounds with bleaching and herbicidal activities. Starting from ethyl 2-(3-trifluoromethylphenyl)acetate, an important intermediate 7 was synthesized in five steps with a moderate total yield of 51.5% in a safe and practical way. Twenty-six novel 3-N-substituted amino-6-methyl-4-(3-trifluoromethylphenyl)pyridazine derivatives were synthesized and evaluated through a Spirodela polyrrhiza test and greenhouse test. Some compounds can completely inhibit Chl at 1 microg/mL and exhibit equal or higher herbicidal activities with the commercial bleaching herbicide diflufenican against dicotyledonous plants at a rate of 75 g/ha.

An efficient, fast and facile pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine synthetic protocol has been established by the condensation of aminopyrazoles with 1,3-dicarbonyl components in AcOH/H(2)SO(4) system. The pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine sulfides were selectively oxidized to the sulfones via a temperature-controlled stepwise oxidative fashion. The correlation between the substitution patterns of these pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidines and their fluorescent spectroscopic properties were further examined, which provided the fundamentals for their potential applications in the development of new fluorescent probes. Red-shifts were easily achieved by the incorporation of unsaturated groups at the 5- and 7-positions, which suggested an approach for synthesizing long wavelength pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine dyes. The fluorescent spectroscopic properties were found to be sensitive to the hydroxy-containing and carbonyl-containing media such as alcohol and acetone, which helps to confirm the promising perspectives of further investigations in this area.

In order to obtain new lead compounds with high herbicidal activity, a series of 5-amino pyrazole derivatives were designed and synthesized using a series of relational synthons. Their structures were determined by IR, 1H NMR, and elemental analyses. These compounds were screened for herbicidal activities against rape and barnyard grass. Their structure-activity relationships are discussed.

The synthesis of 4,4′-arylmethylene-bis(3-(trifluoromethyl)-1-phenyl-1 H -pyrazol-5-ol) was performed effectively in aqueous media without catalyst by the reaction of aryl aldehydes and 1-phenyl-3-trifluoromethylpyrazol-5-one. All of the compounds obtained were characterized by elemental analysis, FTIR and 1 H NMR. The structure of compound 3g was further confirmed by the X-ray single crystal diffraction. The method has the advantages of mild condition, without any catalyst, high yields and environmentally benign procedure.

In this paper, both 1,4-dihydropyridinones (Hantzsch products) and 3,4-dihydropyrimidinones (Biginelli products) are synthesized in one-pot of aldehydes, β-dicarbonyl compounds and urea, catalyzing by non-toxic room temperature ionic liquid 1-n-butyl-3-methylimidazolium saccharinate (BMImSac). The ionic liquid (BMImSac) is environmentally benign associated with ionic liquid with F−. In order to improve the yield and selectivity, the effects of the mole proportion of reactants and solvents are investigated. Interestingly, by increasing the amount of ethyl acetoacetate or utilizing water as solvent, an unexpected by-product, Hantzsch product which is distinct from Biginelli product, is generated. All Biginelli and Hantzsch products are simultaneously purified and characterized by IR, 1H NMR and 13C NMR, of which one Biginelli product (4h) and one Hantzsch product (5b) are structurally determinated by X-ray single crystal diffraction. The crystal data for 4h: triclinic system, P-1 space group, a = 7.515(3) A, b = 9.011(4) A, c = 11.218(5) A, α = 106.288(6)°, β = 104.644(6)°, γ = 100.234(6)°, Z = 2, V = 679.7(5) A3, Dc = 1.36 g/cm3, R1 = 0.0603. The crystal data for 5b: monoclinic system, P2(1)/c space group, a = 9.765(3) A, b = 7.391(2) A, c = 24.795(7) A, β = 93.669(5)°, Z = 4, V = 1785.7(9) A3, Dc = 1.292 g/cm3, R1 = 0.0440.

A series of novel 6,7,8,9-tetrahydro-2-(2-aryloxypyrimidin-4-yl)-2H-[1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-a]azepin-3(5H)-ones were designed and efficiently synthesized. Their structures were determined by IR, 13C and 1H NMR, mass spectroscopy, and elemental analysis. These compounds were screened for herbicidal activities against rape and barnyard grass. Compounds 5a-5f and 5m exhibited moderate herbicidal activity against rape. In addition, the synthesis of the intermediate 1-(azepan-2-ylidene)-2-(2-chloropyrimidin-4-yl)-hydrazine (3) was studied and the reason for the low yield in the initial procedure is discussed as well.

A series of 2-cyano-3-methylthio-3-substituted methylaminoacrylates were synthesized as herbicidal inhibitors of photosystem II (PSII) electron transport, in order to estimate the effect of fluorine atom, pyridyl group, chirality and ester chain on activity. The important intermediate 2-fluoro-5-aminomethylpyridine was synthesized with high yield. The bioassay results showed that most of title compounds had high herbicidal activity in postemergence treatment. The introduction of an α-methyl into the 3-substituted methylamino could improve the activity notably. The replacement of hydrogen by chlorine or fluorine group and phenyl by pyridyl group showed different effects, and at the same time, the ester chain affected the activity too.

Ethyl 5-amino-3-trifluoromethyl-1H-pyrazole-4-carboxylate (1) was efficiently synthesized via the condensation of ethyl cyanoacetate and trifluoroacetic anhydride, followed by chloridization and the condensation with aqueous hydrazine. Its unique reactivity was exploited for the synthesis of trifluoromethylated pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine (5) and pyrazolo[5,1-d][1,2,3,5]tetrazine-4(3H)-ones (8a–j). Among them, 5 was firstly found to be a novel fluorescent molecule that might be exploited as an attractive fluorophore for possessing many binding sites, and its fluorescence intensity was obviously stronger than its methyl analogue. 8 were found to be a new chemical class of potential monocotyledonous Echinochloa crus-galli L. Beauv inhibitors, and were more active than their methyl analogues.

A series of novel alpha,alpha,alpha-trifluoro-m-tolyl pyridazinone derivatives was synthesised. Herbicidal activities of the two intermediate compounds and 15 pyridazinone derivatives were evaluated through barnyardgrass and rape cup tests and Spirodela polyrrhiza (L.) Schleiden tests. Selected compounds were also evaluated under greenhouse conditions. Bleaching activities were observed at 10 microg ml(-1) and some compounds exhibited herbicidal activities at a rate of 300 g ha(-1). The relationship between crystal structures and herbicidal activities is discussed through a comparison of two compounds (5a and 5f).

A novel coupling reaction of 4-amino-5-mercapto-3-substituted-1,2,4-triazoles to generate symmetrically substituted hydrazines, N,N′-bis(5-mercapto-3-substituted-1,2,4-triazol-4-yl)hydrazines was unexpectedly observed. Five examples are presented to demonstrate this reaction. All isolated products were unambiguously characterized.

Two series, totaling twelve, of new compounds, ethyl 1-aroyl/(aroylmethyl)-5-methyl-3-methylthiopyrazole-4-carboxylates (5/6), have been synthesized via highly regioselectively acylation and alkylation reactions of ethyl 3-methyl-5-methylthio-1 H-pyrazole-4-carboxylate (2a) with aroyl chloride (3) and eco-friendly reagents alpha-tosyloxysubstituted acetophenones (4), respectively, and a green protocol has been developed. The acylation reactions were carried out under ultrasound irradiation, and the alkylation reactions were under microwave irradiation and ultrasound irradiation, respectively. Conventional reaction conditions, as well as the use of alpha-bromosubstituted acetophenone (4′) have also been applied in the synthesis of some randomly selected compounds in both series and have generated identical compounds correspondingly. Unexpected structures of compounds were unambiguously determined by X-ray crystallographic analysis.

Novel 1-phenyl-piperazine-2,6-diones were prepared by a new facile synthetic route using methyl N-substituted iminomonoacetate as starting material. The structures of these compounds were established by (1)H-NMR, (13)C-NMR and GC/MS. 2-(4-Chloro-5-cyclo-pentyl-oxy-2-fluorophenyl)-tetrahydro-2H-pyrido-[1,2-a]-pyrazine-1,3-(4H,6H)-dione displayed the greatest herbicidal activity.

A series of novel sulfone-containing pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidines (2-3) and pyrazolo[5,1-d][1,2,3,5]tetra-zine-4(3H)-ones (5a-5k) were designed and efficiently synthesized, some of which have been identified as being potential rape inhibitors. These results widen the structural diversity of rape inhibitors and confirm the perspectives of further investigations in this area. Moreover, a plausible reaction mechanism is outlined.

A series of new 2-aryl-7-cyano/ethoxycarbonyl-6-methylthio-1H-imidazo[1,2-b]pyrazoles (5) have been synthesized in moderate to good yields, via a two-step cyclocondensation procedure of 5-amino-4-cyano/ethoxycarbonyl-3-methylthio-1H-pyrazole (1) and α-bromoacetophenones (3) or α-tosyloxyacetophenones (2), which were prepared by the reactions of acetophenones with [hydroxy(tosyloxy)iodo]benzene (HTIB). The intermediates, 5-amino-1-(aroylmethyl)-4- cyano/ethoxycarbonyl-3-methylthio-1H-pyrazoles (4), have been isolated, serving as evidence for the regioselectivity. When utilizing α-tosyloxy-acetophenones, the reactions were more eco-friendly, the reaction time was significantly reduced and the synthetic procedure was more convenient and easier to manipulate. Surprisingly, using potassium carbonate to displace sodium carbonate in the synthesis of 4, in the case of 1 (R CN), two novel cyclocondensation products have been isolated and fully characterized, followed by the proposal of a plausible mechanism.

In the search for better herbicides a series of 1-alkyl-3-(α-hydroxy-(un)substituted benzylidene)pyrrolidine-2,4-diones were prepared and their structure-activity relationships studied. All their structures have been confirmed by 1 H-NMR and elemental analysis. The preliminary bioassay results indicated that some of them have high herbicidal activity against annual dicotyledonous and monocotyledonous plants. Keywords: Pyrrolidine, herbicides, inhibition. Introduction The inhibitors of 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD, EC 1.13.11.27) constitute a new kind of herbicides [1]. Generally, potent herbicides of this kind must possess the following structural features: 1) a tricarbonyl methane structure and one of the three carbonyl groups must be a subustituted benzoyl group; 2) the compound must be able to enolise so that the enolate is capable of inhibiting HPPD enzyme by competitive combination with Fe 2+ – the reaction center of HPPD enzyme [2]. Recently, we observed that the 3-acyltetramic acids form an expanding group of antibiotics and pigments derived from microorganisms [3]. They display a range of biological activities [4] and all compounds of this kind possess a tricarbonyl methane structure and can essentially enolise completely (the chemical shifts of their enolic hydroxyls were larger than 10). Tests of their antimicrobial activities indicated that the structure of the acyl substituent at the 3-position and possession of a 3

The structures of methyl 5-[2-chloro-4-(trifluoromethyl)phenoxy]-2-nitrobenzoate, C15H9ClF3N3O5, (I), methyl 2-chloro-5-[3-methyl-2,6-dioxo-4-(trifluoromethyl)-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyrimidin-1-yl]benzoate, C14H10ClF3N2O4, (II), and 2-[4-chloro-2-fluoro-5-(prop-2-ynyloxy)phenyl]-4-(trifluoromethyl)piperidine-2,6-dione, C15H10ClF4NO3, (III), are similar in their dihedral angles and in the distances between the farthest two atoms. There are two independent molecules in the structure of (I). The dihedral angles between the two aromatic rings in each molecule in (I), between the benzene and tetrahydropyrimidine rings in (II), and between the benzene ring and the five-atom planar portion of the piperidine-2,6-dione ring in (III) are 80.78 (11)/89.75 (11), 89.13 (9) and 87.52 (13) degrees , respectively. The distances between the farthest two atoms, viz. O...F in the two molecules of (I), and Cl...F in (II) and (III), are 11.763 (7)/11.953 (6), 10.734 (10) and 10.889 (9) A, respectively. In all three crystal structures, the molecules are linked to generate sheets of molecules via C-H...O interactions.

The molecular structures of 2-[4-chloro-2-fluoro-5-(prop-2-ynyloxy)phenyl]-1,3,4,5,6,7-hexahydroisoindole-1,3-dione, C17H13ClFNO3, (I), and the isomeric compound 2-[4-chloro-2-fluoro-5-(prop-2-ynyloxy)phenyl]-cis-1,3,3a,4,7,7a-hexahydroisoindole-1,3-dione, (II), are, as anticipated, significantly different in their conformations and in the distances between the farthest two atoms. The six-membered ring of the 1,3,4,5,6,7-hexahydroisoindole-1,3-dione moiety in (I) adopts a half-chair conformation. The dihedral angle between the five-membered dione ring of (I) and the benzene ring is 50.96 (7) degrees . The six-membered ring of the cis-1,3,3a,4,7,7a-hexahydroisoindole-1,3-dione moiety in (II) adopts a boat conformation. The dihedral angle in (II) between the five-membered dione ring and the benzene ring is 61.03 (13) degrees . In the crystal structures, the molecules are linked by C-H...O hydrogen bonds and weak pi-pi interactions. Compound (I) is a much more potent herbicide than (II). The Cl...H distances between the farthest two atoms in (I) and (II) are 11.37 and 9.97 A, respectively.

The title compound, C16H23N5O3S, ethyl 5-amino-l-(5′-methyl-l'-t-butyl-4′-pyrazolyl)carbonyl-3-methylthio 1H-pyrazole-4-carboxylate (5) has been synthesized by the treatment of ethyl 2-cyano-3,3-dimethylthioacrylate with 1 -t-butyl-5-methyl-4-hydrazinocarbonylpyrazole (4) in refluxed ethanol. The possible mechanism of the above reaction was also discussed. The results of biological test show that the title compound has fungicidal and plant growth regulation activities.

For the purpose of better understanding the molecular mechanism of action of sulfonylurea and sulfonamide herbicides, the quantitative relationship between their structure and herbicidal activity against rape, Brassica campestris L, was analysed using physicochemical parameters and regression analysis and comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA). The results showed that the structure–activity relationships of the two sets of compounds were identical, which suggested that the two different sets of compounds affect a common region of the receptor site. The CoMFA results were consistent with those derived from traditional QSAR analysis. Combining the traditional QSAR analysis with the CoMFA results, we can conclude that the variations in the herbicidal activity of the two sets of ALS inhibitors were governed dominantly by the three-dimensional steric and electrostatic field parameters of molecules participating in the interaction with the receptor site and there is apparently an optimum electronic property (Σσ or pKa) for the molecules to fit the receptor. © 1999 Society of Chemical Industry

The retention characteristics of 25 2-cyano-3-methylthio-3substituted amine-acrylates are determined using reversed-phase thin-layer chromatography (RP-TLC) with methanol‐water mixtures as eluents. The relationship between R m values and partition coefficients (C log P ) are established. The R m values decrease linearly with increasing methanol concentration in the eluent. The R m values extrapolated to zero organic modifier concentration (R m0 ) in the eluent are highly related to C log P. The R m0 value can be used to evaluate the lipophilicity of this kind of compound.

The crystal structure of the title compound, C18H20N6O3, is stabilized by N—H...O and N—H...N hydrogen bonds.

The title molecule, C17H25N5O3S2, belongs to the family of bis-heterocycles. In the crystal structure, there are one intra- and two intermolecular hydrogen bonds. One of the two pyrazole rings and the six-membered ring formed by the intramolecular hydrogen bond are approximately coplanar.

A series of fourteen O-ethyl O-phenyl N-isopropyl phosphoroamidothioate enantiomers containing a phosphorus atom as a chiral center have been separated by high-performance liquid chromatography on a Pirkle model chiral stationary phase. Chromatography data, the capacity factor (k′) and the separation factor (α) of all solutes are presented. The influence of chromatographic conditions was investigated. The probable mechanism for chiral recognition is proposed.

In the crystal structure of the title compound, C20H20N2O4, the mol­ecules are linked by a weak inter­molecular C—H⋯N hydrogen bond. The molecule has crystallographic twofold rotation symmetry.

The title compound, C16H15F3N2O3, is composed of a 3-(tri­fluoro­methyl)­phenyl ring and a pyridazinone ring, which are approximately coplanar, and an ethyl acetate group on the pyridazinone ring. In the crystal structure, centrosymmetric­ally related mol­ecules form dimers through non-classical intermolecular C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds.

The tetra­hydro­pyrimidine ring of the title mol­ecule, C12H14N2OS, adopts a half-chair conformation. In the crystal structure, the mol­ecules are linked to form centrosymmetric­ally related hydrogen-bonded dimers.

The tetra­hydro­pyrimidine ring of the title mol­ecule, C11H11ClN2OS, adopts a half-chair conformation. In the crystal structure, the mol­ecules are linked to form centrosymmetric hydrogen-bonded dimers.

The title compound, C15H17NO4, is a potent new herbicide containing the pyrrolidine-2,4-dione ring system. In the crystalline state, the molecular skeleton contains one enol grouping, which is intramolecularly hydrogen bonded to a neighboring keto O atom.

The title compound, C18H15NO3, is a potent new herbicide containing the pyrrolidine-2,4-dione ring system. In the crystalline state, the molecular skeleton contains one enol hydrogen-bonded moiety, formed from benzoyl Czdbnd;O isomerization.

4-(3-Trifluoromethylphenyl)pyridazine represents a new series of compounds with bleaching and herbicidal activities.A total of 43 novel 3-(substituted benzyloxy or phenoxy)-6-methyl-4-(3-trifluoromethylphenyl)pyridazine derivatives were synthesised, and their bleaching and herbicidal activities were evaluated through Spirodela polyrrhiza and greenhouse tests. Some compounds exhibited excellent herbicidal activities, even at a dose of 7.5 g ha(-1).The results showed that a substituted phenoxy group at the 3-position of the pyridazine ring and the electron-withdrawing group at the para-position on the benzene ring were essential for high herbicidal activity.

In the title compound, C(22)H(19)F(3)N(2)O(3), the benzene rings of the trifluoro-methyl-phenyl and benzoyl-phenyl groups form dihedral angles of 41.89 (10) and 67.44 (10)°, respectively, with the pyridazine ring. The methyl-propanoate group is nearly coplanar with the attached benzene ring [dihedral angle = 3.9 (2)°]. The trifluoro-methyl group is disordered over two positions; the site-occupancy factors are ca 0.64 and 0.36. In the crystal structure, inversion-related mol-ecules are linked through C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds and C-H⋯π inter-actions.

A series of 2-(3-(trifluoromethyl)-5-(alkoxy)-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)-4-aryloxypyrimidine derivatives were designed and synthesized. The structures of all the title compounds were confirmed by 1H NMR and elementary analysis. These compounds were screened for herbicidal activity against rape and barnyard grass. Compound B13 exhibited moderate herbicidal activity.

A series of pyrazolo[5,1-d][1,2,3,5]tetrazin-4(3H)one derivatives were designed, synthesized, and evaluated for their herbicidal activities where some of these compounds provided >80% control of Brassica campestris at 10 microg/mL. Quantitative structure-activity relationship studies were performed on these compounds using physicochemical parameters (electronic, Verloop, or hydrophobic) as independent parameters and herbicidal activity as a dependent parameter, where herbicidal activity correlated best (r > 0.8) with physicochemical parameters in this set of molecules. The herbicidal activity against B. campestris was mainly affected by the molar refractivity (MR) for R1, Taft (Eso) for R2 or R6, Verloop (Lm) for R3 or R5, and electronic parameters (Hammett's constants) for R4. The optimal MR for herbicidal activity is 0.95. The herbicidal activity against Echinochloa crus-galli was mainly related with the substituents' hydrophobic parameter. The optimal pi parameters for R1 and R4 for herbicidal activity are 0.72 and 0.68, respectively. In general, these compounds showed greater herbicidal activity toward B. campestris than E. crus-galli.

A series of novel 6,7,8,9-tetrahydro-2-(2-aryloxypyrimidin-4-yl)-2H-[1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-a]azepin-3(5H)-ones were designed and efficiently synthesized. Their structures were determined by IR, 13C and 1H NMR, mass spectroscopy, and elemental analysis. These compounds were screened for herbicidal activities against rape and barnyard grass. Compounds 5a-5f and 5m exhibited moderate herbicidal activity against rape. In addition, the synthesis of the intermediate 1-(azepan-2-ylidene)-2-(2-chloropyrimidin-4-yl)-hydrazine (3) was studied and the reason for the low yield in the initial procedure is discussed as well.

A series of pyrrolidine-2,4-dione and piperidine-2,4-dione derivatives were prepared and evaluated for their herbicidal activities where some of these compounds exhibited good bioactivity against Echinochloa crus-galli in comparison with sulcotrione. Quantitative structure-activity relationship studies were performed on these compounds using physicochemical parameters (hydrophobic, electronic, and Taft) as independent parameters and herbicidal activity as a dependent parameter, where herbicidal activity correlated best (r > 0.8) with hydrophobic (pi(o) + pi(p)), steric (Es), STERIMOL (B4), indicator (H(M)), van der Waals volume (V), and electronic parameter (sigma(m) + sigma(p)) in this set of molecules; the optimum van der Waals volume for R(2) is about 41.8 A3; when B4 is equal to 3, the target molecule possessed the lowest herbicidal activity.

Ethyl 5-amino-3-trifluoromethyl-1H-pyrazole-4-carboxylate (1) was efficiently synthesized via the condensation of ethyl cyanoacetate and trifluoroacetic anhydride, followed by chloridization and the condensation with aqueous hydrazine. Its unique reactivity was exploited for the synthesis of trifluoromethylated pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine (5) and pyrazolo[5,1-d][1,2,3,5]tetrazine-4(3H)-ones (8a–j). Among them, 5 was firstly found to be a novel fluorescent molecule that might be exploited as an attractive fluorophore for possessing many binding sites, and its fluorescence intensity was obviously stronger than its methyl analogue. 8 were found to be a new chemical class of potential monocotyledonous Echinochloa crus-galli L. Beauv inhibitors, and were more active than their methyl analogues.

A series of novel alpha,alpha,alpha-trifluoro-m-tolyl pyridazinone derivatives was synthesised. Herbicidal activities of the two intermediate compounds and 15 pyridazinone derivatives were evaluated through barnyardgrass and rape cup tests and Spirodela polyrrhiza (L.) Schleiden tests. Selected compounds were also evaluated under greenhouse conditions. Bleaching activities were observed at 10 microg ml(-1) and some compounds exhibited herbicidal activities at a rate of 300 g ha(-1). The relationship between crystal structures and herbicidal activities is discussed through a comparison of two compounds (5a and 5f).

A series of 3-[(α-hydroxy-substituted) benzylidene]pyrrolidine-2,4-dione derivatives were synthesized as candidate herbicides by reacting different aroyl acetates with N-substituted glycine esters. The new compounds were identified by 1H NMR spectroscopy and elemental analyses. Their herbicidal activities were evaluated. Some compounds exhibited excellent herbicidal activities at a dose of 187.5 g/ha. A suitable electron-donating substituent at the 2- and/or 4-position of the phenyl ring was essential for high herbicidal activity, a result that has not been reported before. It was also found that the title compound's structure−activity relationships were different from those of other similar kinds of earlier compounds, a result that may depend on the enol structure difference. Keywords: Herbicide; aroyl acetate; HPPD; electron-donating group; structure−activity relationship (SAR)