| abstract |
Useful as antimicrobial agents are beta -substituted alpha -halo-acrylonitriles of formula (I), wherein X represents chlorine, bromine or iodine and R represents a lower alkyl, aryl, aralkyl, heterocyclyl, or thiocarbonyl group. These compounds may be incorporated in aqueous compositions subject to spoilage by microbial growth to control such growth. All the compounds apart from alpha -bromo- beta -methylthio-acrylonitrile and the corresponding beta -phenylthio compound are novel and may be produced (in a final reaction step) by nucleophilic-type displacement of the beta -halogen atom X of an appropriate alpha , beta -dihalo-acrylonitrile X-CH=CX(CN) (IV) using a sulfur anion RS< THETA > derived from the appropriate mercaptan RSH. |