Cyclohexenone oxide ethers and use thereof as herbicides

A cyclohexenone oxime ether of the formula I ##STR12## where the substituents have the following meaning:

• R.sup.1 is a C.sub.1 -C.sub.6 -alkyl group;
• W is an unsubstituted or C.sub.1 -C.sub.3 -alkyl-substituted C.sub.2 -C.sub.4 -alkylene chain;
• X is nitro, cyano, halogen, C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 -alkyl or C.sub.1 -C.sub.1 -haloalkyl;
• n is 0 or n is 1 to 3 when X is nitro, cyano, halogen, C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 -alkyl or C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 -haloalkyl, where the radicals X are identical or different when n is 2 or 3, and
• n can additionally be 4 or 5 if all the X's are halogen;
• R.sup.2 is a C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 -alkoxy-C.sub.1 -C.sub.6 -alkyl or C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 -alkylthio-C.sub.1 -C.sub.6 alkyl group,
• a C.sub.3 -C.sub.7 -cycloalkyl or a C.sub.5 -C.sub.7 -cycloalkenyl group, these groups being unsubstituted or bearing from one to three substituents selected from the group consisting of C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 -alkyl, C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 -alkoxy, C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 -alkylthio, C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 -haloalkyl, hydroxyl and halogen;
• a 5-membered saturated heterocycle which consists of one or two oxygen and/or sulfur atoms as heteroatoms and is unsubstituted or bears from one to three substituents selected from the group consisting of C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 -alkyl, C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 -alkoxy, C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 -alkylthio and C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 -haloalkyl;
• a 6- or 7-membered heterocycle having one or two non-adjacent oxygen and/or sulfur atoms as heteroatoms and which is saturated or mono- or diunsaturated and which is unsubstituted or bears from one to three substituents selected from the group consisting of hydroxyl, halogen, C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 -alkyl, C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 -alkoxy, C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 -alkylthio and C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 -haloalkyl;
• a 5-membered heteroaromatic containing one or two nitrogen atoms and an oxygen or sulfur atom and which is unsubstituted or bears from one to three substituents selected from the group consisting of halogen, cyano, C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 -alkyl, C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 -alkoxy, C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 -alkylthio, C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 -haloalkyl, C.sub.2 -C.sub.6 -alkenyl, C.sub.2 -C.sub.6 -alkenyloxy and C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 -alkoxy-C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 -alkyl;
• phenyl or pyridyl, these groups being unsubstituted or bearing from one to three substituents selected from the group consisting of halogen, nitro, cyano, C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 -alkyl, C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 -alkoxy, C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 -alkylthio, C.sub.1 - C.sub.4 -haloalkyl, C.sub.3 -C.sub.6 -alkenyloxy, C.sub.3 -C.sub.6 -alkynyloxy and an amino group --NR.sup.a R.sup.b, where
• R.sup.a is hydrogen, C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 -alkyl, C.sub.3 -C.sub.6 -alkenyl or C.sub.3 -C.sub.6 -alkynyl and
• R.sup.b is hydrogen, C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 -alkyl, C.sub.3 -C.sub.6 -alkenyl, C.sub.3 -C.sub.6 -alkynyl or C.sub.1 -C.sub.6 -acyl, or benzoyl which is unsubstituted or bears from one to three radicals selected from the group consisting of nitro, cyano, halogen, C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 -alkyl, C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 -alkoxy, C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 -alkylthio and C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 -haloalkyl
• and the agriculturally utilizable salts and esters of compounds I with C.sub.1 -C.sub.10 -carboxylic acids and inorganic acids.