Synthesis and biological activity of O,O′‐dialkyl‐5‐aryl‐1‐hydroxy‐2E,4E‐pentadienylphosphonates

A series of O,O‐dialkyl‐5‐aryl‐1‐hydroxy‐2E,4E‐pentadienylphosphonates with structures similar to that of abscisic acid were synthesized by the reactions of dialkyl phosphites with 5‐aryl‐2E,4E‐pentadienaldehydes. The structures of all new compounds have been confirmed by ¹H NMR, ³¹P NMR, and IR spectroscopy and by elemental analysis or MS. The configurations of carbon‐carbon double bonds were determined by X‐ray diffraction analyses. The bioassays showed that some of these compounds exhibit inhibitory activity on the elongation of wheat coleoptile. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 11:303–307, 2000