LaCl3•7H2O: An efficient catalyst for the synthesis of phosphinates (Michaelis-Arbuzov reaction) under neat conditions and their potential antimicrobial activity

An expeditious neat procedure was developed for the synthesis of a series of new methyl phenyl heterocyclic phosphinates (3a-l) through Michaelis-Arbuzov reaction by the reaction of various heterocyclic halides (Cl or Br) (1a-l) with dimethyl phenylphosphonite (2) under N-2 atmosphere using a heterogeneous catalyst, LaCl3 center dot 7H(2)O. The advantages of the developed procedure are good yields (80-89%) of the products, less reaction time (2-3 h), avoiding toxic catalysts and harmful solvents and easy work-up procedure. Further, antimicrobial activity of the synthesized compounds was evaluated at different concentrations 50, 100 and 150 mu g/mL. Biological data revealed that compounds 3i, 3j and 3h, 3j exhibited potential antibacterial and antifungal activities, respectively, while the rest of the compounds showed moderate antimicrobial activity.