4-ARALKYL SUBSTITUTED 1,6 ANHYDRO-BETA-D-HEXOPYRANOSE DERIVATIVES AND THEIR USE AS HERBICIDES AND PLKANT GROWTH REGULANTS

摘要

Herbicidal and/or plant-growth regulatory compositions comprising, together with a carrier and/or surface-active agent, an effective amount of at least one herbicidal and/or plant growth regulatory active agent selected from compounds of formula (I) (in which R represents an optionally substituted aralkyl group, X represents an O-, N- or S-linked organic group, an optionally substituted hydrocarbyl group, a halogen atom, a hydroxy, amino, alkoxyamino, nitro, cyano, azido, sulpho or phospho group, or together with the group R2e, X may represents a ketonic oxygen atom -O- or a group of formula -CH2O-; R1e represents a hydrogen atom or an optionally substituted hydrocarbyl group, or a formyl group; R2e represents a hydrogen atom, a hydroxy group or an optionally substituted hydrocarbyl or O-linked hydrocarbyl group, or, together with the group X, R2e may represent a ketonic oxygen atom -O- or a group of formula -CH2O-; R3a represents a hydrogen atom, a hydroxy group or an optionally substituted alkoxy, alkenyloxy, aralkoxy or C1-4 hydrocarbyl group; R3e represents a hydrogen atom, a hydroxy group or an optionally substituted hydrocarbyl or O-linked hydrocarbyl group; and R4e represents a hydrogen atom or an optionally substituted hydrocarbyl group) and enantiomers and salts thereof. Methods for preparing the compounds of formula (I) are described; the compositions are valuable as herbicides and/or plant-growth regulants, particularly for use with crops such as soya, rape, sugar-beet, cotton, wheat, maize and rice.