Processes for producing benzothiophenes employing ethylene carbonate or propylene carbonate are provided.

A method of increasing plant biomass, individual plant constituents, and in most cases, increasing rate of plant growth, by the application of certain substituted phenoxytrialkylamines, substituted phenylthiotrialkyamines or dialkylmorpholium halides to plants at very early stages of development and in very low amounts.

The compound of the formula ##STR1## wherein each of R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 individually is hydrogen, lower alkyl or lower alkenyl or together signify straight-chain alkylene with 2 or 4 carbon atoms, R.sup.3 is hydrogen, halogen or lower alkyl, Q is alkylene with 4 to 11 carbon atoms and at least 4 carbon atoms between the two free valencies or alkenylene with 4 to 11 carbon atoms and at least 4 carbon atoms between the two free valencies and each of Y and Y' individually is a direct bond or the group --CH.sub.2 --, --CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 --, --CH.dbd.CH-- or --C.tbd.C--, the group R.sup.1 R.sup.2 N--Q--O-- is attached to the 3- or 4-position of ring A and the symbol R designates that the ring to which it is attached is unsubstituted or is substituted with at least one substituent selected from the group consisting of halogen, trifluoromethyl, cyano, nitro, lower alkyl and lower alkoxy, and their pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salts can be used for the control or prevention of fungal infections, especially of topical or systemic infections which are caused by pathogenic fungi, and for the manufacture of antifungally-active medicaments. The compounds of formula I have not only a pronounced antifungal activity, but they also exhibit synergistic effects in combination with other known antifungally-active substances which inhibit sterol biosynthesis such as ketoconazole and terbinafine.

Novel bioactive compounds which when applied to plants in bioregulatory amounts, enhance plant development responses, resulting in enhanced plant properties such as increased total biomass, increased yield, and increased plant quality. Some of the compounds increase the content of taxol and related taxanes in yew plants. One compound, 2-[diethylaminoethyl]-2-methylpropylether causes plants treated with the compound to have resistance to chewing insects. The compound 2-[diethylaminoethyl]-2-methyl-2-phenylpropylether causes plants treated with the compound to have resistance to sucking insects.

The invention relates to methods for the treatment of central nervous system disorders, neurological disorders, gastrointestinal disorders, drug abuse, angina, migraine, hypertension and depression by administering a pharmaceutical composition comprising an effective amount of certain sigma receptor ligands to a patient in need of such treatment. The invention further relates to novel sigma receptor ligands having high binding to the sigma receptor and pharmaceutical compositions thereof.