in the following examples , the preparation of compounds according to the invention and the herbicidal properties of selected compounds is demonstrated . the examples are for the purposes of illustration only and are intended to imply no limitation on the essential scope of the invention . this example illustrates the preparation of a compound with the formula ## str3 ## a reaction mixture comprising 3 . 72 gm of the ethyl ester of 2 - acetyl - 3 - ethoxy - propenoic acid and 3 . 02 gm of n -( diphenoxyphosphinylmethyl ), n -( cyanomethyl ) amine in 100 ml of toluene was refluxed under nitrogen for 20 hours . the solvent was then removed and the reaction mixture was placed in a chromatograph column containing 90 gm of silica gel . elution using a 60 : 40 v / v mixture of cyclohexane and ethyl acetate gave 3 . 0 gm of an oil which upon standing solidified to material having a melting point 92 °- 94 ° c . the above - identified compound has the empirical formula : c 22 h 23 n 2 o 6 p . this example illustrates the production of a compound having the formula ## str4 ## a reaction mixture comprising 7 . 2 gm of the ethyl ester of 2 - trifluoroacetyl - 3 - ethoxy - propenoic acid and 4 . 53 gm of n -( diphenoxyphosphinylmethyl ), n -( cyanomethyl ) amine in 100 ml of toluene was refluxed under nitrogen for 22 hours . after removal of the toluene , 11 . 5 gm of product remained and upon nmr analysis this showed no trace of the starting materials . the product was purified by elution through a column of 95 gm of silica gel as described in example 1 . a total of 4 . 65 gm of product with a melting point of 65 °- 67 ° c . was obtained . the above product has an empirical formula : c 22 h 20 f 3 n 2 o 6 p . this example illustrates the preparation of a compound with the formula : ## str5 ## a reaction mixture comprising 1 . 8 gm of n -( diphenoxyphosphinylmethyl ), n -( cyanomethyl ) amine and 2 . 16 gm of the diethyl ester of ethoxy methylene malonic acid in 100 ml of toluene was refluxed under nitrogen for 16 hours . nmr analysis of a sample showed no methylamine derivative starting material remained . the toluene was removed and the product was purified chromatographically as described in example 1 to yield 2 . 05 gm of product . the proportions of these elements actually found during elemental analysis were : c - 58 . 39 %, h - 5 . 36 %, n - 5 . 92 %. this example illustrates the preparation of a compound with the formula ## str6 ## a reaction mixture comprising 4 . 53 gm of n -( diphenoxyphosphinylmethyl ), n -( cyanomethyl ) amine , 6 . 60 gm of the ethyl ester of 2 - chloroacetyl - 3 - ethoxy propenoic acid , and 100 ml of toluene . the mixture was refluxed for 16 hours under nitrogen and was then concentrated by removal of toluene . the product was separated chromatographically as described in example 1 to yield 2 . 5 gm of pure compound and a further 4 . 3 gm of impure product as a result of apparent partial hydrolysis during elution . the pure compound had a melting point of 75 °- 79 ° c . the above compound was expected to show : 55 . 41 % of carbon , 4 . 65 % of hydrogen , 7 . 43 % of chlorine , and 5 . 87 % of nitrogen . elemental analysis of the pure product showed : c - 53 . 86 %, h - 4 . 54 %, c16 . 69 %, and n - 5 . 22 . this example illustrates the preparation of a compound having the formula ## str7 ## a reaction mixture comprising 6 . 04 gm of n -( diphenoxyphosphinylmethyl ), n -( cyanomethyl ) amine , 4 . 0 gm of 4 - methoxy - 3 - buten - 2 - one and 100 ml of toluene were refluxed for 18 hours under nitrogen , then concentrated to remove toluene . the mixture was purified chromatographically as described in example 1 to yield 7 . 0 gm of pure product . this example illustrates the herbicidal activity of the compounds of the invention described in examples 1 - 5 . in each case the compound was applied in spray form to 14 - day old specimens of the various plant species indicated below . the additive was incorporated in an aqueous spray solution comprising 3 parts of cyclohexanone and 1 part of a surfactant ( 35 parts of the butylamine salt of dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid and 65 parts of tall oil condensed with ethylene oxide in the ratio of 11 moles of ethylene oxide to 1 mole of tall oil ). the application rate of the spray was varied as indicated and the treated plants were placed in a greenhouse in good growing conditions . after the indicated period the effect on the plants was examined and rated according to the following index . the plant species tested are indicated by letter . the significances of which are as follows : table i__________________________________________________________________________herbicidal effectscom - pound wat kg / ha a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t__________________________________________________________________________ex . 1 4 5 . 6 -- 3 4 2 4 -- -- -- -- 3 4 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 1 . 12 -- 2 0 2 4 -- -- -- -- 1 2 1 1 1 1 3 2 0 2 3 4 0 . 28 -- 2 0 1 3 -- -- -- -- 2 3 1 0 1 2 2 1 4 3 4 4 11 . 2 2 3 4 3 4 -- 3 2 4 3 3 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 4 5 . 6 4 3 3 3 4 4 3 1 4 2 3 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- ex . 2 4 5 . 6 -- 3 2 2 2 -- -- -- -- 2 3 2 2 2 3 3 3 1 2 3 4 1 . 12 -- 2 1 2 3 1 -- -- -- 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 1 3 4 11 . 2 4 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 4 2 3 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 4 5 . 6 4 2 3 2 3 1 2 2 2 2 3 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- ex . 3 4 5 . 6 -- 2 1 2 4 3 -- -- -- 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 1 3 4 1 . 12 -- 2 0 1 1 2 -- -- -- 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 3 4 11 . 2 2 2 0 1 3 1 2 0 0 0 0 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 4 5 . 6 2 2 0 1 4 0 2 0 2 1 1 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- ex . 4 4 11 . 2 2 2 1 2 3 0 2 1 3 1 2 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 4 5 . 6 2 2 2 2 2 0 2 1 3 0 2 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- ex . 5 4 11 . 2 -- 3 2 3 3 1 1 0 1 1 2 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 4 5 . 6 -- 3 2 1 1 1 -- -- -- 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 2 0 1 1__________________________________________________________________________ * wat indicates &# 34 ; weeks after treatment &# 34 ;. from the illustrative data presented above , it should be clear that the herbicidal response will be dependent upon the compound employed , the rate of application , the plant specie involved , and other factors well understood by those skilled in the art . the herbicidal compositions ( including concentrates which require dilution prior to application to the plants ) of this invention contain at least one active ingredient and an adjuvant in liquid or solid form . the compositions are prepared by admixing the active ingredient with an adjuvant such as a diluent , extender , carrier or conditioning agent to provide composition in the form of a finely - divided particulate solid , pellet , solution , dispersion or emulsion . thus , the active ingredient can be used with an adjuvant such as a finely - divided solid , a liquid of organic origin , water , a wetting agent , a dispersing agent , an emulsifying agent or any suitable combination of these . from the viewpoint of economy and convenience , water is the preferred diluent . however , it is found that not all the compounds are resistant to hydrolysis and in some cases this may dictate the use of non - aqueous solvent media . the herbicidal compositions of this invention , particularly liquids and soluble powders , preferably contain as further adjuvant components one or more surface - active agents in amounts sufficient to render a given composition readily dispersible in water or in oil . the incorporation of a surface - active agent into the compositions greatly enhances their efficacy . by the term &# 34 ; surface - active agent &# 34 ; it is understood that wetting agents , dispersing agents , suspending agents , and emulsifying agents are included therein . anionic , cationic , and non - ionic agents can be used with equal facility . preferred wetting agents are alkyl benzene and alkyl naphthalene sulfonates , sulfated fatty alcohols , amines or acid amides , long chain acid esters of sodium isothionate , esters of sodium sulfosuccinate , sulfated or sulfonated fatty acid esters petroleum solfonates , sulfonated vegetable oils , ditertiary acetylenic glycols , polyoxyethylene derivatives of alkylphenols ( particularly isooctylphenol and nonylphenol ), and polyoxyethylene derivatives of the mono - higher fatty acid esters of hexitol anhydrides ( e . g . sorbitan ). preferred dispersants are methyl cellulose , polyvinyl alcohol , sodium lignin sulfonates , polymeric alkyl naphthalene sulfonates , sodium naphthalene sulfonate , polymethylene bisnaphthalenesulfonate , and sodium n - methyl - n -( long chain acid ) laurates . water - dispersible powder compositions can be made containing one or more active ingredients , an inert solid extender and one or more wetting and dispersing agents . the inert solid extenders are usually of mineral origin such as the natural clays , diatomaceous earth , and synthetic minerals derived from silica and the like . examples of such extenders include kaolinites , attapulgite clay , and synthetic magnesium silicate . water - dispersible powders of this invention usually contain from about 5 to about 95 parts by weight of active ingredient , from about 0 . 25 to 25 parts by weight of wetting agent , from about 0 . 25 to 25 parts by weight of dispersant and from 4 . 5 to about 94 . 5 parts by weight of inert solid extender , all parts being by weight of the total composition . where required , from about 0 . 1 to 2 . 0 parts by weight of the solid inert extender can be replaced by a corrosion inhibitor or anti - foaming agent or both . aqueous suspensions can be prepared by mixing together and grinding an aqueous slurry of a water - insoluble active ingredient in the presence of a dispersing agent to obtain a concentrated slurry of very finely - divided particles . the resulting concentrated aqueous suspension is characterized by its extremely small particle size , so that when diluted and sprayed , coverage is very uniform . emulsifiable oils are usually solutions of active ingredient in water - immiscible or partially water - immiscible solvents together with a surface active agent . suitable solvents for the active ingredient of this invention include hydrocarbons and water - immiscible ethers , esters or ketones . the emulsifiable oil compositions generally contain from about 5 to 95 parts active ingredient , about 1 to 50 parts surface active agent and about 4 and 94 parts solvent , all parts being by weight based on the total weight of emulsifiable oil . compositions of this invention can also contain other additaments , for example fertilizers , phytotoxicants and plant growth regulants , pesticides and the like used as adjuvants or in combination with any of the above - described adjuvants . the compositions of this invention can also be admixed with the other materials , e . g ., fertilizers , other phytotoxicants , etc ., and applied in a single application . chemicals useful in combination with the active ingredients of this invention either simultaneously or sequentially include for example triazines , ureas , carbamates , acetamides , acetanilides , uracils , acetic acids , phenols , thiolcarbamates , triazoles , benzoic acids , nitriles , and the like such as : fertilizers useful in combination with the active ingredients include for example ammonium nitrate , urea , potash , and superphosphate . when operating in accordance with the present invention , effective herbicidal amounts of the compounds of the invention are applied directly or indirectly to the plants . the application of liquid and particulate solid plant regulating compositions can be carried out by conventional methods , e . g ., power dusters , boom and hand sprayers , rope wick applicators , rollers , recirculating sprayers and spray dusters . the compositions can also be applied from airplanes as a dust or a spray because of their effectiveness at low dosages . the application of a herbicidally effective amount of the compounds of this invention to the plant is essential and critical for the practice of the present invention . the exact amount of active ingredient to be employed is dependent upon the response desired in the plant as well as such other factors as the plant species , and the environmental conditions , as well as the specific compound employed . in general , the active ingredients are employed in herbicidally effective amounts equivalent to from about 0 . 112 to about 10 . 0 kg / hectare . although the invention is described with respect to specific modifications , the details thereof are not to be construed as limitations except to the extent indicated in the following claims .
novel compounds are described in which an n - cyanomethyl , n - amine is substituted at the nitrogen atom with an ethylenically unsaturated group . the compounds are active herbicide and may provide an active ingredient in a herbicidal composition .