Substituted diphenyl ethers, herbicides containing these compounds and

Abstract

Substituted diphenyl ethers of the formula ##STR1## where Z.sub.1, Z.sub.2 and Z.sub.3 are hydrogen, halogen, nitro, cyano, carboxyl, alkyl, haloalkyl, alkoxy, haloalkoxy, alkylmercapto, haloalkylmercapto, alkylsulfinyl, haloalkylsulfinyl, alkylsulfonyl or haloalkylsulfonyl, Z.sub.4 is hydrogen, cyano, alkyl, alkoxy, acetoxy or alkylmercapto, Y is hydrogen, halogen, cyano or nitro, X is oxygen, sulfur, sulfinyl or sulfonyl, and A is hydrogen, unsubstituted or substituted alkyl ##STR2## and can also be sulfonyl ##STR3## when X is oxygen, and, when Z.sub.4 is alkoxy or alkylmercapto, can also be a methylene chain --(CH.sub.2).sub.m -- by which the radicals Z.sub.4 --CH--X-- are bonded to form a ring, R.sub.1 is hydrogen, methyl, ethyl or n-propyl, R.sub.2 is cyano, methoxy, ethoxy or ##STR4## where B is OH, ONa, O--alkyl, unsubstituted or substituted phenoxy, --NH.sub.2, --NH--alkyl or --N(alkyl).sub.2, n is 1, 2 or 3, R.sub.3 and R.sub.4 are hydrogen, halogen, methyl, nitro, cyano, methoxy, carboxyl, trifluoromethyl or an O-propionic acid methyl ester group, R.sub.5 is methyl, ethyl, propyl, chloromethyl, dichloromethyl, trichloromethyl, methoxymethyl, phenyl, nitro-substituted phenyl, alkyl-substituted phenyl or .alpha.-2,4-dichlorophenoxyethyl, R.sub.6 and R.sub.7 are hydrogen, alkyl, alkoxyalkyl, dihalophenyl, cyclohexyl or methoxy, R.sub.8, R.sub.9 and R.sub.10 are methyl, ethyl, n-propyl or n-butyl, R.sub.11 and R.sub.12 are methoxy, ethoxy, thiomethyl, thioethyl, thio-n-propyl, N,N-dimethylamino or N,N-diethylamino, R.sub.13 is methyl, ethyl, phenyl or trifluoromethyl, R.sub.14 and R.sub.15 are hydrogen, methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, isopropyl, n-butyl, n-hexyl, n-heptyl, methoxy, ethoxy or isopropoxy, and m is 2 or 3; and herbicides containing these compounds.