Synthesis of Some Schiff Bases of o-Phenylenediamine and their Antimicrobial Activity

Two series of Schiff bases viz. N-substituted benzylidene benzene-1, 2-diamines (1a-e) and N, N’-bis substituted benzylidene benzene-1, 2-diamines (2a-e) were synthesized using o-phenylenediamine and various substituted aldehydes in the presence of sodium hydroxide as a catalyst. Physical data of all the synthesized compounds is reported. The compounds were characterized by their IR and 1H NMR spectra and evaluated for antimicrobial activity against Pseudomonas sp., Klebsiella sp., Burkholderia sp. and Fusarium oxysporum. The compounds containing halogen group showed better activity as compared to the others. Out of the halogenated compounds, the bromo substituted compounds exhibited more activity. The other halogenated compounds followed the order Br > Cl > F. None of the compounds gave better results as compared to the standard ampicillin and bavistin.