The synthesis and herbicidal activity of 1-alkyl-3-(alpha-hydroxy-substituted benzylidene)pyrrolidine-2,4-diones.

In the search for better herbicides a series of 1-alkyl-3-(alpha-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.