DIHYDROTRIAZOLE DERIVATIVES AND THEIR USE AS HERBICIDES

Abstract: Compounds having selective herbicidal activity have the formula wherein R¹ is amino, C₁₋₄ alkoxy or C₁₋₄ alkylamino; R² is H, halogen or C₁₋₄ alkyl; and R³ is H, C₁₋₄ alkyl, benzyl, furyl, or phenyl optionally substituted by halogen, hydroxyl, carboxyl, methoxycarbonyl, C₁₋₄ alkyl or C₁₋₄ alkoxy.

Description: This invention relates to dihydrotriazole derivatives and their use as herbicides. Rice, wheat and corn are important crops. It is essential to protect these crops from weeds. A selective herbicide, i.e. which kills the weeds but which does not severely injure the crop, is very desirable. Kadaba, J. Pharm. Sci. 59 (1970) 1190-1191, discloses 1,5-diaryl-4,5-dihydro-1,2,3-triazoles which were screened for herbicidal activity. FR-A-2526271, EP-A-0070089, JP-A-58185572 JP-A-57193406 and JP-A-57193466 disclose 3-carbamyl-1,5-diaryl-1,2,4-triazoles and their herbicidal activity. Novel compounds according to the present invention have the formula wherein R¹ is amino or C 1-4 alkoxy; R² is H, halogen or C 1-4 alkyl; and R³ is furyl, or phenyl optionally substituted by halogen, hydroxyl, carboxyl, C 1-4 alkyl or C 1-4 alkoxy. According to a second aspect of the present invention, a process for producing a novel compound of the invention comprises reacting an amine of the formula wherein R¹ and R² are as defined above, with an aldehyde of the formula wherein R³ is as defined above, in the presence of an acid catalyst. According to a third aspect of the present invention, a herbicidal composition comprises, as an active ingredient, a novel compound of the invention and a diluent therefor. According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a method for killing weeds comprises applying to weeds or to the locus thereof a novel compound of the invention, or a composition of the invention. The novel compounds of the present invention exhibit herbicidal activity against weeds of true grasses (Gramineae) and, especially, broad-leaved weeds. They do not exhibit any severe effect on important crops such as rice, wheat and corn, and therefore they can be safely applied to rice pads and fields. Since they have a suitable soil transport property, they can also be applied effectively to orchards and flower plantations. In the synthetic process of the invention, the amine (II) is reacted with the aldehyde (III), with dehydration, at a temperature of -20 to 300°C, preferably 0 to 200°C, in the presence of an acid catalyst, and preferably in an inert solvent. The product should not be dehydrogenated and, in order to prevent this side-reaction and maximise the yield of product, the solvent should be deoxygenated in advance and the reaction should proceed under an inert atmosphere. However, if the product is insoluble in the reaction solvent, and almost all the product crystallises during the reaction, the reaction can be carried out under an inert atmosphere. The acid catalyst may be, for example, an organic acid such as p-toluenesulphonic acid or benzenesulphonic acid, or an inorganic acid such as sulphuric acid or phosphoric acid. However, if an acidic solvent which has acid catalytic activity, such as formic acid, acetic acid, propionic acid or a mixture thereof, is used alone or diluted with a small amount of water or another solvent, a separate acid catalyst is not needed. An inert solvent, i.e. which does not react with the amine or the aldehyde, can be used. Examples of such solvents are aromatic liquids such as benzene, toluene, xylene, monochlorobenzene or dichlorobenzene, ester-type solvents such as ethyl acetate, chlorinated solvents such as carbon tetrachloride, chloroform or dichloroethane, and acidic solvents as described above. If azeotropic distillation is used to cause dehydration, a water-immiscible solvent should be used. If an acidic solvent as described above is used, the reaction can go at room temperature. It may be preferred that R¹ is amino Compounds of the invention in which R¹ is alkoxy are generally less effective as herbicides. One group of preferred compounds of the invention comprises those of formula I wherein R¹ is amino and R³ is phenyl optionally substituted by halogen, hydroxyl, alkyl or alkoxy; more preferably, either R² is 3-methyl and R³ is phenyl, 4-chlorophenyl, 4-methoxyphenyl or pentafluorophenyl or R² is 4-chloro and R³ is phenyl, 4-chlorophenyl or 4-methoxyphenyl. Another preferred group comprises those compounds of formula I wherein R¹ is amino, R², is H and R³ is phenyl, 3-methylphenyl, 4-chlorophenyl, 2-hydroxyphenyl, 3-hydroxyphenyl, 4-hydroxyphenyl, 2-carboxyphenyl or furyl. 17 compounds of the invention have been prepared, and they, numbers for their identification, and their melting points are given in Table 1. The following Examples 1 and 2 illustrate how compounds of the invention may be prepared. Example 1 5-(4-Chlorophenyl)-4,5-dihydro-1-phenyl-1H-1,2,4-triazole-3-carboxamide (compound No. 3) 1.8 g of a compound of formula II (R¹ = NH₂, R² = H) and 2.1 g p-chlorobenzaldehyde were introduced into 50 ml benzene together with 20 mg p-toluenesulphonic acid, and refluxed for 10 hours. Water was separated as the benzene azeotrope. After cooling, 3.0 g of the product were separated by filtration (94% yield) : mp 213-215 C; infrared spectrum (KBr, cm -1 ) νNH-3380, 3260, 3200 νCO 1660; NMR spectrum (d₆-DMSO) δ (ppm) 6.40 (1H, S: CH<) 6.6 - 8.1 (12H, m; ArH + NH + NH₂). Example 2 4,5-Dihydro-1-(3-methylphenyl)-5-phenyl-1H-1,2,4-triazole-3-carboxamide (compound No. 8) 3.0 g of a compound of formula II (R¹ = NH₂, R² = 3-CH₃) and 2.1 g benzaldehyde were introduced into 50 ml deoxygenated benzene together with 25 mg p-toluenesulphonic acid and refluxed for 3 hours under a nitrogen atmosphere. After cooling, 4.1 g of crystals of the product were separated by filtration (94% yield): mp 193-195 C; infra-red spectrum (KBr, cm - ¹) νNH 3380, 3290, 3170 νCO 1660; NMR spectrum (d₆-DMSO) δ (ppm) 2.23 (2H, S; CH₃) 6.50 (1H, S; CH<) 6.6 - 8.4 (13H, m; ArH + NH + NH₂); mass spectrum (m/z, relative intensity) 280 (M + , 55%) 279 (20%), 278 (15%), 262 (14%), 203 (100%), 186 (78%). The same product was obtained when 19.2 g of the same formula II compound and 11.7 g benzaldehyde were mixed and stirred for 1.5 hours at room temperature under a nitrogen atmosphere. Crystalline product was separated by filtration and washed with 20 ml of deoxygenated acetic acid. The washed product was dried in a KOH desiccator. 22.5 g of the product (80.5% yield) were obtained. The following Examples 3 and 4 illustrate compositions of the invention. All parts are by weight. Example 3 50 parts compound No. 1, 5 parts lignin sulphonate, 3 parts alkyl sulphonate and 42 parts diatomite were pulverised to give a wettable powder which can be diluted with water to any desired concentration. Example 4 8 parts compound No. 6, 40 parts bentonite, 45 parts clay and 7 parts lignin sulphonate were uniformly mixed. The mixture was kneaded with water, processed into granules by an extruding granulator, and dried. The following Examples 5 to 7 illustrate the herbicidal utility of the invention. Example 5 In tests to determine pre-emergence effect, seeds of various plants (9 weeds and 4 crops) were sown on soil packed in a planter (650 x 210 x 200 mm) and covered with a thin layer of soil. A dilute solution of a compound of formula I (concentration adjusted to correspond to 50 g/are) was uniformly sprayed on to the surface of the soil. The planter was then maintained in a greenhouse. After 25 days, the state of the plants was observed, to assess the damage due to the application of the solution, and thus to evaluate both herbicidal activity against the weeds and damage to the crops. Table 2 gives the results, using the following values: Example 6 In tests to evaluate post-emergence herbicidal effect, the same range of seeds as in Example 5 was sown on soil packed in a planter (650 x 210 x 200 mm), covered with a thin layer of soil, and maintained in a greenhouse. When the crop or weed reached the two to three leaf stage, an aqueous suspension of a compound of formula I (concentration adjusted to correspond to 50 g/are) was uniformly sprayed on to the surface of the foliage and the soil. After 25 days further maintenance in the greenhouse, herbicidal activity and crop damage were evaluated as in Example 5; the results are recorded in Table 3. Example 7 In tests to determine herbicidal efficacy against rice-pad weeds by soil treatment before rice plantation, three pots, each having a plantable area of 1/5000 are, were packed with soil and adjusted to a rice-pad-like state. The first pot was sown with Echinochloa crus-galli in two stages, so that one group of the weed plants was at the three-leaf stage and another group was before germination, at the same time of treatment. The second pot was sown with Cyperus microiria in two stages, so that one group of the weed plants was at the two-leaf stage and another group was before germination, at the time of treatment. The third pot had no weed seeds. An aqueous suspension of a compound of formula I was applied to the water layer of each pot, in an amount corresponding to 30 g/are. Three days after treatment, the third pot was planted with rice plant seedlings. All the pots were maintained in a greenhouse. 25 days after treatment, herbicidal activity and crop damage were evaluated as in Example 5; the results are recorded in Table 4.

Claims: A compound of the formula wherein R¹ is amino or C 1-4 alkoxy; R² is H, halogen or C 1-4 alkyl; and R³ is furyl, or phenyl optionally substituted by halogen, hydroxyl, carboxyl, C 1-4 alkyl or C 1-4 alkoxy. A compound according to claim 1, wherein R¹ is amino. A compound according to claim 2, wherein R³ is phenyl optionally substituted by halogen, hydroxyl, C 1-4 alkyl or C 1-4 alkoxy. A compound according to claim 3, wherein R² is 3-methyl and R³ is phenyl, 4-chlorophenyl, 4-methoxyphenyl or 2,3,4,5,6-pentafluorophenyl. A compound according to claim 3, wherein R² is 4-chloro and R³ is phenyl, 4-chlorophenyl or 4-methoxyphenyl. A compound according to claim 4, wherein R³ is phenyl. A compound according to claim 2, wherein R² is H, and R³ is phenyl, 3-methylphenyl, 4-chlorophenyl, 2-hydroxyphenyl, 3-hydroxyphenyl, 4-hydroxyphenyl, 2-carboxyphenyl or furyl. A compound according to claim 7, wherein R³ is 4-chlorophenyl. A compound according to claim 1, wherein R¹ is methoxy, R is H and R³ is phenyl or 4-chlorophenyl. A process for producing a compound according to any preceding claim, which comprises reacting an amine of the formula wherein R¹ and R² are as defined in the preceding claim, with an aldehyde of the formula wherein R³ is as defined in the preceding claim, in the presence of an acid catalyst. A herbicidal composition which comprises, as an active ingredient, a compound according to any of claims 1 to 9 and a diluent therefor. A method for killing weeds, which comprises applying to weeds or to the locus thereof a compound according to any of claims 1 to 9 or a composition according to claim 11.

Inventors: SATAKE, KEIGO, SHIDA, TAKAFUMI, SHINKAWA, HIROYASU, WATANABE, TAKEO, YAMAZAKI, SHIRO
Applicants: KUREHA KAGAKU KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Application year: 1986
Main classification: C07D249
IPC codes: C07D405, A01N43, C07D249