N-methyl as a bioisostere for the oxygen link between the aromatic rings of aryloxyphenoxypropionate herbicides

Article abstract of DOI:10.1016/S0960-894X(97)00235-7

The herbicidal activity of a set of N-methyl arylaminophenoxypropionate esters 3 has been compared to the analogous aryloxyphenoxypropionates 1. The usefulness of N-methyl as a novel bioisostere for ether links is shown by the surprisingly high herbicidal activity of the 6-chloroquinazolin-2-yl- and 7-chloro-1,2,4-benzotriazin-3-yl-N-methylamino- phenoxypropionate esters 3h and 3i.