Ethylene-bis-Nitrourethane: Investigation of the Plant Growth Stimulant Action of Analogous Compounds

The results of a systematic attempt to relate the growth-stimulatingfunction of compounds analogous to ethylene-bis-nitrourethaneto their chemical structure and properties showed that, withthe exception of a series of nitraminocarboxylic acids, NO₂NH(CH₂)COOH,activity was confined to compounds of the form R—N(NO₂)—X—N(NO₂)—R,where X is an alkylene or substituted alkylene chain. It issuggested that active compounds are converted to dinitramines(R = H) in the plant, and that the acidic nature of the —NHNO₂groups is of importance. The oil/water partition coefficientsand the geometrical structure of the molecules are also shownto influence their growth-stimulating activity.