4-nitrophenyl esters, including mixed carbonates and bis carbonates, as leather fungicides.

4-nitrophenyl derivatives lacking a free phenolic hydroxyl group have generally been neglected for serious consideration as leather fungicides in spite of the well known employment of the parent compound for this purpose. It has been assumed that among such derivatives a free hydroxyl group is essential for high fungitoxic potency. However, it has recently been shown that bis(4-nitrophenyl) carbonate and bis(2-chloro-4-nitrophenyl) carbonate in leather hydrolyze under mildew-growing conditions with liberation of the free nitrophenols. The two bis carbonates are approximately as effective as leather-mildew inhibitors as the phenols themselves. These findings prompted an investigation of additional esters of 4-nitrophenol and 2-chloro-4-nitrophenol. The results of this investigation are reported and discussed in the present paper. All these compounds behaved like the bis carbonates, i.e..., they were all effective leather fungicides. Their potential advantages over 4-nitrophenol are discussed.