AbstractThe discovery and investigation of a novel family of herbicides containing a diaryl acetal are described. The stability of the acetal limited herbicidal efficacy and recognizing that fact led to the design of analogs with commercial levels of post‐emergence activity on broadleaf weeds. These compounds inhibited acetolactate synthase and in vitro activity data were used to guide target design. However, no members of this family provided a commercially valuable combination of herbicidal efficacy and crop selectivity.© 2002 Society of Chemical Industry