Synthesis, characterization, and antibacterial activity of a novel heterocyclic Schiff's base and its metal complexes of first transition series

The synthesis of a series of some novel Schiff base complexes of Cu(II), Ni(II), Co(II), Mn(II), Zn(II) with a tetradentate Schiff base has been achieved by the reaction of malonyl hydrazide with dehydroacetic acid in ethanol under refluxing condition. All the synthesized metal complexes and ligand were characterized on the basis of elemental analysis, UV-Visible, H-1 and C-13 NMR, IR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. The IR spectral data suggest that azomethine N and enolic O atom are involved in coordination with metal ions, and the ligand behaves as a tetradentate ligand with ONNO donor atoms. The mass spectrum of the complexes reveals the formation of metal ligand bonding in stoichiometric ratio 1:1 (M:L). The UV-Visible data suggest the square planner geometry for the synthesized complexes. All compounds were screened for their antibacterial activity against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria using Ampicillin as a standard drug. It has been found that metal complexes show enhanced activity as compared to ligand, and some modification in ligand structure may lead to better antibacterial agents in future.