Efficient synthesis and antibacterial activity of N-(o-benzyloxy/hydroxyphenyl) benzohydroxamic acids

A modified one-pot two-step method has been developed to synthesize N-(o-benzyloxyphenyl) benzohydroxamic acids from o-benzyloxy nitrobenzene in good to excellent yields. The synthesized N-(o-benzyloxyphenyl) benzohydroxamic acids were subjected to benzyl deprotection using Pd-C catalyst under H2 gas atmosphere to afford corresponding N-(o-hydroxyphenyl) benzohydroxamic acids. All the synthesized N-(o-benzyloxy/ hydroxyphenyl) benzohydroxamic acids were characterized by 1H-, 13C NMR, FT-IR, UV-Vis., HRMS (ESI) and the structure of the compound 5d was further confirmed by analyzing its X-ray data. The synthesized novel N-(o-benzyloxy/ hydroxyphenyl) benzohydroxamic acids were screened for antibacterial activity against the bacterium Escherichia coli by the serial broth microdilution method using microplate alamar blue assay (MABA). The synthesized derivatives showed significant activity against E. coli.