Herbicidal, plant growth inhibitory, and cytotoxic activities of bismuthines containing aromatic heterocycles

This work presents the herbicidal and plant growth regulatory activities of tertiary bismuthines containing heterocyclic aromatic rings of the general formula (2-C4H3X)(3)Bi, where X = S (3), 0 (1), or NMe (2). Toxicity against Artemia salina and herbicidal activity on Lactuca sativa, Trifolium pratense, and Lolium multiflorum were tested. In addition to the effects on mitochondrial respiration obtained from roots of Phaseolus vulgaris, these compounds also demonstrated partial radical scavenging properties against 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH). The furyl substituent is the most important structural requirement for the activity measurements observed in this study.