Role of Nickel (II) Salicylhydroxamic Acid and its Aniline Adduct as an Antimicrobial Substitute

The development of drug resistance as well as the appearance of undesirable side effects of certain antibiotics has led to the search of new antimicrobial agents with the goal to discover new chemical structures which overcome the above disadvantages. As a ligand with potential oxygen and nitrogen donors, hydroxamic acids are interesting and have gained special attention not only because of the structural chemistry of their coordination modes, but also because of their importance in medical chemistry. This study was undertaken to synthesis salicylhydroxamic acid, complex it with nickel (II) and its aniline adduct and evaluate the antimicrobial potential of the ligand and its complex in order to orient future investigations towards the finding of new potent and safe antimicrobial drugs. Solubility, conductivity, UV spectroscopy and antimicrobial studies of the compounds was carried out Salicylic hydroxamic acid (SHA) and Nickel (II) complex showed significant in vitro antibacterial and antifungal activities against all tested organisms. The mode of action by which SHA exhibited antifungal and antibacterial activities may involve the formation of a hydrogen bond through the nitrogen and oxygen atoms in Salicylic hydroxamic acid (SHA) with the active centers of the cell constituents, resulting in interference with the normal cell process. There is great potential for the development of Ni (SHA)2 C6 H5 NH2 into a potent drug with better efficacy than the current antimicrobial therapies available which are easily prone to resistance.