Phenol derivatives

Claim 1

A phenol compound of the formula: NU--A--X--R.sup.1 where NU is a phenolic nucleus of the general formula ##STR19## wherein one of R 13 and R 23 , or one of R 33 and R 43 , has the formula R 3 O--, wherein R 3 is hydrogen or alkyl, cycloalkyl, alkanoyl, alkoxycarbonyl, carboxyalkanoyl or aroyl each of up to 10 carbon atoms; wherein one of R 13 and R 23 , or one of R 33 and R 43 , which is in the other aromatic ring B or C from that which contains the R 3 O--substituent, is hydrogen, halogen, amino, trifluoromethyl, cyano, carboxy or carbamoyl, or alkyl, hydroxyalkyl, hydroxyfluoroalkyl, alkylamino, dialkylamino, alkanoylamino, alkanoyl, alkoxycarbonyl, alkylcarbamoyl, dialkylcarbamoyl, alkylsulphamoyl or dialkylsulphamoyl each of up to 6 carbon atoms, and wherein the other two of R 13 , R 23 , R 33 , and R 43 are hydrogen; or wherein one of R 13 and R 23 , and one of R 33 and R 43 , is hydrogen, halogen, amino, trifluoromethyl, cyano, carboxy or carbamoyl, or alkyl, hydroxyalkyl, hydroxyfluoroalkyl, alkylamino, dialkylamino, alkanoylamino, alkanoyl, alkoxycarbonyl, alkylcarbamoyl, dialkylcarbamoyl, alkylsulphamoyl or dialkylsulphamoyl each of up to 6 carbon atoms; and wherein the other of R 13 and R 23 , and the other of R 33 and R 43 , is hydrogen; wherein R 4 and R 14 , which may be the same or different, each is hydrogen or alkyl of up to 5 carbon atoms, or R 4 and R 14 are joined together so that CR 4 --CR 14 is an olefinic double bond; wherein R 5 and R 6 together form a direct link or --CH 2 --, --CH(CH 3 )--, --CH 2 CH 2 --, --(CH 2 ) 3 --, or --CH═CH--, and R 15 is hydrogen; and wherein the aromatic ring B and C each is unsubstituted or substituted with one or more halogen or methyl, ethyl, isopropyl or isobutyl substituents; wherein A is straight- or branched-chain alkylene, alkenylene or alkynylene each of from 4 to 12 carbon atoms; or A has the formula: --A.sup.1 --Y.sup.3 --A.sup.21 -- wherein A 1 is alkylene or alkenylene and A 21 is a direct link or alkylene, alkenylene or cycloalkylene, such that A 1 and A 21 together have a total of 2 to 10 carbon atoms, and Y 3 is phenylene or napthylene which is unsubstituted or substituted with one or more halogen or methyl, ethyl, isopropyl or isobutyl substituents, wherein R 1 is alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, cycloalkyl, halogenoalkyl, alkoxyalkyl, haloagenoalkoxyalkyl each of up to 10 carbon atoms, or, phenyl, chlorophenyl, o-ethylphenyl, p-cyanophenyl, p-hydroxyphenyl, p-methoxyphenyl, alkyl of 1 to 3 carbon atoms which bears a phenyl, tolyl, halogenophenyl or trifluoromethylphenyl substituent, α-methylbenzyl, 3,4-dichlorobenzyl, p-cyanobenzyl or p-methylthiobenzyl and wherein X is --S--, --SO-- or --SO 2 --, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt of a compound wherein R 3 is carboxyalkanoyl.