3-aryl-pyrrolidine-2,4-dione derivatives

A 3-arylpyrrolidine-2,4-dione derivative of the formula (I):

• ##STR115## in which A and B together with the nitrogen or carbon atom to which they are bonded, form a 4-8 membered cyclic ring wherein A and B together represent --(CH.sub.2)--.sub.2-6 which is uninterrupted or interrupted by a sulfur atom or a sulfoxide or a sulfonyl group;
• E represents hydrogen, alkyl or alkoxyalkyl;
• X represents alkyl, halogen or alkoxy;
• Y represents hydrogen, alkyl, halogen, alkoxy or halogenoalkyl;
• Z represents alkyl, halogen or alkoxy;
• n represents a number from 0-3;
• R represents one of the groups:
• ##STR116## in which L represents oxygen or sulfur in the case of group (a) or (c);
• or, in the case of group (d), one of L and M represents oxygen and the other represents sulfur or both L and M represent sulfur;
• R.sup.1, R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 independently of one another represent alkyl, alkoxy, alkylamino, dialkylamino, alkylthio, alkenylthio, alkynylthio or cycloalkylthio, each of which is unsubstituted or substituted by halogen, or represent phenyl, benzyl, phenoxy or phenylthio, each of which is unsubstituted or substituted by halogen, nitro, cyano, alkoxy, halogenoalkoxy, alkylthio, halogenoalkylthio, alkyl or halogenoalkyl;
• R.sup.4 and R.sup.5 independently of one another represent hydrogen, or represent alkyl, alkenyl, alkoxy or alkoxyalkyl, each of which is unsubstituted or substituted by halogen, or represent phenyl or benzyl, each of which is unsubstituted or substituted by halogen, halogenoalkyl, alkyl or alkoxy;
• or R.sup.4 and R.sup.5 together represent an alkylene radical which is uninterrupted or interrupted by oxygen;
• R.sup.6 represents alkyl which is unsubstituted or substituted by halogen and which is uninterrupted or interrupted by oxygen, or represents phenyl which is unsubstituted or substituted by halogen, halogenoalkyl or alkoxy, or represents benzyl which is unsubstituted or substituted by halogen, halogenoalkyl, alkyl or alkoxy, or represents alkenyl or alkynyl;
• or a pure enantiomeric form thereof.