Design, Synthesis of Novel Pyrimidine Derivatives Containing Alkenyl Moieties With Herbicidal Activities.

ABSTRACT To identify lead compounds with potent herbicidal activity, a range of pyrimidine derivatives containing alkenyl groups were designed, synthesized, and characterized using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and high‐resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS). The synthetic pathways for producing these compounds involved substitution reactions, cyclization, hydrolysis, and other processes. The starting materials for each reaction step were readily accessible, facilitating synthesis. The purification of the final product was straightforward, yielding approximately 80%, under mild reaction conditions. Moreover, a pot culture experiment was employed to assess the herbicidal efficacy of the aforementioned compounds. Compounds <bold>6a</bold>, <bold>6b</bold>, <bold>6h</bold>, and <bold>6j</bold> demonstrated a significant inhibition against Amaranthus retroflexus, comparable to fomesafen at 150 g a.i./hm2. This suggests that these compounds hold promise as potential lead structures for herbicidal agents. The docking results indicated that the binding energies of compound <bold>6a</bold> with protoporphyrinogen oxidase (PPO) were both negative and spontaneous, with numerous interaction active sites. Thus, it is speculated that compound <bold>6a</bold> is a PPO inhibitor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]