Original Articles
Abdullahi Owolabi Sobola and G
Abstract
A series of 2-hydroxy-phenylimino(methyl)phenol Schiff bases have been evaluated for their in vitro antibacterial and antifungal activity against Escherichia coli ATCC® 8739™*, Staphylococcus aureus subsp. aureus ATCC® 6538™*, Bacillus subtilis subsp. spizizenii ATCC® 6633™* and Candida albicans ATCC® 2091™*. The Schiff bases were obtained from the condensation of 2-aminophenol with salicylaldehyde, 2-hydroxy-3-methoxy benzaldehyde (o-vanillin) and 2-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzaldehyde (p-vanillin). The Schiff base ligands were characterized with elemental analysis, 1H- and 13C-NMR, infrared and UV-Visible spectral data. The salicylaldehyde and the o-vanillin analogues possess significant activity against all the tested organisms. In addition, the Schiff bases coordinate to Cu(II) ions as dibasic tridentate ligands via the imine nitrogen and the deprotonated phenolic oxygen atoms. The complexes were of the form [CuL]; bridging through the phenolic oxygen atom to form binuclear Cu(II) complexes, [CuL]2. All the complexes have high melting or decomposition temperature ( ) and were insoluble in common coordinating solvents. Thus, no antimicrobial activity was recorded for the complexes