Synthesis and Herbicidal Activity of Substituted Tetrahydronaphthalenes (Part II)

This paper reports the synthesis and the biological activity of novel tetrahydronaphthalenes with substitution of functional groups at each position of the aromatic ring and substitution of various alkyl groups at the 1-position of the non-aromatic ring. These compounds exhibited pre-emergent herbicidal activity which was determined by the orientation and type of functional groups on the aromatic ring with the 1,1-dimethyl substitution on the non-aromatic ring. The activity tended to be highest for nitro or methyl at the 5- and 7-positions with an amino or ester group at the 6-position and a dimethyl substitution at the 1-position.