Azulene Derivatives as Plant Growth Regulators

AMONG the many hundreds of compounds examined for effects in promoting cell elongation, very few having activity do not have a ring structure possessing aromatic character 1 . Thus it is logical to look for activity in compounds having ‘non-classical’ aromatic rings such as derivatives of azulene and ferrocene. The azulene compounds are of particular significance since this ring system occurs frequently in essential oils and plant tissue, and anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic, bacteriostatic, cancerostatic and anti-arthritic activities have been claimed for azulenes 2 .