131733-29-4

Upstream product

• 108-01-0 2-(N,N-dimethylamino)ethanol 
• 94-74-6 MCPA 
• 6597-79-1 2-methyl-4-chlorophenoxyacetyl chloride 
• 64046-49-7 (4-chloro-2-methylphenoxy)-2-acetoxyethyldimethylammonium hydrochloride 

Relevant academic research and scientific papers

Novel esterquat-based herbicidal ionic liquids incorporating MCPA and MCPP for simultaneous stimulation of maize growth and fighting cornflower

Modern agricultural practices are often based on the use of mixtures of specific herbicides to achieve efficient crop protection. The major drawbacks of commercial herbicidal formulations include the necessity to incorporate toxic surfactants and high volatility of active substances. Transformation of herbicides into herbicidal ionic liquids (HILs) seems to be a promising alternative which allows to almost completely reduce volatility due to ionic interactions. In the scope of this research, we transformed (2-methyl-4-chlorophenoxy)acetic acid (MCPA) into a quaternary ester (esterquat) with the use of derivatives of 2-dimethylaminoethanol. The obtained esterquats were later coupled with (±)?2-(4-chloro-2-methylphenoxy)propionic acid (MCPP) in the form of an anion. The combination of MCPA and MCPA is commonly applied in the UK, EU countries and also in the USA to increase the spectrum of targeted weed species. In the framework of this study, novel HILs with an esterquat moiety incorporating a long alkyl chain (C8, C9, C10, C11, C12, C14) were prepared and characterized in terms of basic physicochemical properties (solubility and volatility) as well as biodegradability. Their phytotoxicity was assessed towards cornflower (Centaurea cyanus) as a model weed and maize (Zea mays) as a crop plant. The presence of the esterquat cation contributed to satisfactory solubility in water and other low polar solvents, which eliminates the need to add exogenous adjuvants. Further experiments indicated that the tested HILs stimulated the germination stage of maize and maintained high herbicidal activity towards cornflower. No significant differences in terms of properties were observed in case of HILs which included alkyl substituents with an odd number of carbon atoms. Future studies should be focused on structural modifications in order to improve the biodegradability as well as field studies for evaluation of commercial applications.

Esterquat herbicidal ionic liquids (HILs) with two different herbicides: Evaluation of activity and phytotoxicity

Herbicidal ionic liquids (HILs) constitute a new concept in crop protection products. Their main advantage is the potential to combine the efficiency of traditional herbicides with low vapour pressure and adjustable water solubility which leads to improved environmental safety in the agricultural sector. Among many strategies to obtain new HILs, esterquats seem to be well suited for modification since both the cation and anion may be constituents of herbicides. In the framework of this study 16 new esterquat HILs were synthetized based on standard herbicides: 2,4-D, MCPA, MCPP, 4-CPA, Clopyralid and Dicamba. Germination tests performed on agricultural soil using cornflower indicated the best two HILs. Furthermore, analysis of the toxicological effects of HILs on wheat plants revealed an additional advantage of the two selected HILs. The glutathione (GSH) content and glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity showed a lower oxidative stress level in wheat plants treated with examined HILs, respectively, in comparison to a mixture of reference compounds. Finally the Ames test was applied in order to analyse the mutagenic activity of the two selected HILs.