Ammonium nonanoate is a nonsystemic, broad-spectrum contact
herbicide that has no soil activity. It can be used for the suppression and control of
weed
A weed is a plant considered undesirable in a particular situation, "a plant in the wrong place", or a plant growing where it is not wanted.Harlan, J. R., & deWet, J. M. (1965). Some thoughts about weeds. ''Economic botany'', ''19''(1), 16-24. ...
s, including grasses, vines, underbrush, and annual/perennial plants, including moss, saplings, and tree suckers. Ammonium nonanoate is marketed as an aqueous solutions, at room temperature at its maximum concentration in water (40%). Solutions are colorless to pale yellow liquid with a slight fatty acid odor. It is stable in storage. Ammonium nonanoate exists as white crystals.
[Biopesticide Registration Action Document, Ammonium Nonanoate, US EPA, 2006]
Ammonium nonanoate is made from
ammonia
Ammonia is an inorganic compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the formula . A stable binary hydride, and the simplest pnictogen hydride, ammonia is a colourless gas with a distinct pungent smell. Biologically, it is a common nitrogenous wa ...
and
nonanoic acid
Pelargonic acid, also called nonanoic acid, is an organic compound with structural formula CH3(CH2)7CO2H. It is a nine-carbon fatty acid. Nonanoic acid is a colorless oily liquid with an unpleasant, rancid odor. It is nearly insoluble in water, ...
, a
carboxylic acid widely distributed in nature, mainly as derivatives (
ester
In chemistry, an ester is a compound derived from an oxoacid (organic or inorganic) in which at least one hydroxyl group () is replaced by an alkoxy group (), as in the substitution reaction of a carboxylic acid and an alcohol. Glycerides a ...
s) in such foods as apples, grapes, cheese, milk, rice, beans, oranges, and potatoes and in many other nonfood sources.
References
{{Ammonium salts
Herbicides
Ammonium compounds