Synthesis, spectral, and antibacterial screening studies of chelating polymers of bisphenol-A–formaldehyde resin bearing barbituric acid

Abstract

A new polymeric ligand was synthesized by the reaction of bisphenol-A and formaldehyde in the basic medium, followed by condensation polymerization with barbituric acid in the acidic medium. Polymer metal complexes were prepared by reaction of this resin with Mn(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), and Zn(II). The polymeric resin and its metal polychelates were characterized by elemental analysis, FT-IR, ¹³C-NMR, and ¹H-NMR spectra. The geometry of the polymer metal complexes was evaluated by electronic spectra (UV-Vis) and magnetic moment measurement. Thermal stabilities show an increased thermal stability of the metal polychelates compared to the ligand. The antibacterial activities of all the synthesized polymers were investigated against Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Escherichia coli, showing good antibacterial activities against these bacteria. Cu(II) polychelate showed highest biocidal activity.

Keywords:

• Barbituric acid
• Polymer metal complexes
• Thermogravimetric analysis

Acknowledgments

The authors express their sincere thanks to “The Third World Academy of Sciences Italy” for UV-Vis spectrophotometer EZ-201 (PerkinElmer) through research grant scheme No. 00-047 RG/CHE/AS.