Synthesis, antimicrobial potential and computational studies of crystalline 4-bromo-2-(1,4,5-triphenyl-1H-imidazole-2-yl)phenol and its metal complexes

Abstract

Drug resistance developed in microorganisms is a major concern which needs immediate attention from the scientific community. Development of new drugs with different modes of action is an effective approach to solve this issue. Numerous heterocyclic compounds have been examined and synthesized recently, and among those derivatives, imidazoles have attracted significant attention. In the current research work, a tetra-substituted imidazole derived from benzil, aniline, 5-bromosalicylaldehyde and ammonium acetate has been synthesized via the Debus–Radziszewski method. This compound was utilized as a ligand for the synthesis of complexes of Zn(II), Co(II), Cu(II), Ni(II) and Mn(II). The compounds were characterized by different analytical and spectroscopic techniques, i.e. SC-XRD, ¹H-NMR, FT-IR, and UV-visible spectroscopy, conductivity measurement and elemental analysis. All the compounds were evaluated for their anti-bacterial potential against different strains of bacteria. Interestingly, the copper complex of the mentioned ligand was found to be the most active against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Moreover, the electronic structure of the ligand (1a) was analyzed using quantum chemical calculations, and molecular docking was performed in order to estimate its ability to inhibit protein action.