This study aimed to design, synthesize, and characterize novel ruthenium (II) Schiff base complexes as potential antimicrobial agents to address the growing crisis of multidrug-resistant bacterial infections. Despite advances in antibiotic development, resistance to existing drugs, particularly in Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli-demands new compounds with alternative mechanisms of action. A key research gap lies in the limited exploration of pyridine-imine Schiff base ruthenium complexes with systematic substitution (-Br, -OH) and a comparison between simple Ru (II) and Ru(II)-p-cymene architectures. Ligands and their Ru (II) complexes were synthesized and characterized by FT-IR, UV-Vis, 1H NMR, and melting point. Antimicrobial activity was evaluated using agar disc diffusion against both bacterial strains at concentrations ranging from 125 to 1000 µg/mL, with data analyzed using two-way ANOVA and Fisher’s LSD test (α = 0.05). Results showed Ru (II) complexes exhibited significantly higher inhibition than free ligands (p ≤ 0.05), with bromo- and hydroxy-substituted cymene complexes (e.g., L-C2, L1-C2) displaying the strongest activity (up to 14 -15 mm zones). Although all compounds were less potent than gentamycin, the enhanced bioactivity upon metal coordination supports Tweedy’s chelation theory. These findings validate Ru (II)-Schiff base complexes as promising scaffolds for future antimicrobial development, warranting further studies on MIC, toxicity, and antifungal activity.
| Published in | American Journal of Applied Chemistry (Volume 13, Issue 6) |
| DOI | 10.11648/j.ajac.20251306.11 |
| Page(s) | 152-163 |
| Creative Commons |
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| Copyright |
Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Science Publishing Group |
Schiff Base, Ruthenium (II) Complexes, Antibacterial Activity, Pyridine-imine Ligands, Spectral Characterization, p-Cymene Ruthenium
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APA Style
Nyang’ate, S. O., Gichumbi, J. M., Nthiga, E. W. (2025). Design, Synthesis, and Antimicrobial Profiling of Novel Schiff Base Metal (II) Complexes: Structural Characterization and Structure. American Journal of Applied Chemistry, 13(6), 152-163. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajac.20251306.11
ACS Style
Nyang’ate, S. O.; Gichumbi, J. M.; Nthiga, E. W. Design, Synthesis, and Antimicrobial Profiling of Novel Schiff Base Metal (II) Complexes: Structural Characterization and Structure. Am. J. Appl. Chem. 2025, 13(6), 152-163. doi: 10.11648/j.ajac.20251306.11
@article{10.11648/j.ajac.20251306.11,
author = {Shem Ongechi Nyang’ate and Joel Mwangi Gichumbi and Esther Wanja Nthiga},
title = {Design, Synthesis, and Antimicrobial Profiling of Novel Schiff Base Metal (II) Complexes: Structural Characterization and Structure},
journal = {American Journal of Applied Chemistry},
volume = {13},
number = {6},
pages = {152-163},
doi = {10.11648/j.ajac.20251306.11},
url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajac.20251306.11},
eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajac.20251306.11},
abstract = {This study aimed to design, synthesize, and characterize novel ruthenium (II) Schiff base complexes as potential antimicrobial agents to address the growing crisis of multidrug-resistant bacterial infections. Despite advances in antibiotic development, resistance to existing drugs, particularly in Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli-demands new compounds with alternative mechanisms of action. A key research gap lies in the limited exploration of pyridine-imine Schiff base ruthenium complexes with systematic substitution (-Br, -OH) and a comparison between simple Ru (II) and Ru(II)-p-cymene architectures. Ligands and their Ru (II) complexes were synthesized and characterized by FT-IR, UV-Vis, 1H NMR, and melting point. Antimicrobial activity was evaluated using agar disc diffusion against both bacterial strains at concentrations ranging from 125 to 1000 µg/mL, with data analyzed using two-way ANOVA and Fisher’s LSD test (α = 0.05). Results showed Ru (II) complexes exhibited significantly higher inhibition than free ligands (p ≤ 0.05), with bromo- and hydroxy-substituted cymene complexes (e.g., L-C2, L1-C2) displaying the strongest activity (up to 14 -15 mm zones). Although all compounds were less potent than gentamycin, the enhanced bioactivity upon metal coordination supports Tweedy’s chelation theory. These findings validate Ru (II)-Schiff base complexes as promising scaffolds for future antimicrobial development, warranting further studies on MIC, toxicity, and antifungal activity.},
year = {2025}
}
TY - JOUR T1 - Design, Synthesis, and Antimicrobial Profiling of Novel Schiff Base Metal (II) Complexes: Structural Characterization and Structure AU - Shem Ongechi Nyang’ate AU - Joel Mwangi Gichumbi AU - Esther Wanja Nthiga Y1 - 2025/12/17 PY - 2025 N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajac.20251306.11 DO - 10.11648/j.ajac.20251306.11 T2 - American Journal of Applied Chemistry JF - American Journal of Applied Chemistry JO - American Journal of Applied Chemistry SP - 152 EP - 163 PB - Science Publishing Group SN - 2330-8745 UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajac.20251306.11 AB - This study aimed to design, synthesize, and characterize novel ruthenium (II) Schiff base complexes as potential antimicrobial agents to address the growing crisis of multidrug-resistant bacterial infections. Despite advances in antibiotic development, resistance to existing drugs, particularly in Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli-demands new compounds with alternative mechanisms of action. A key research gap lies in the limited exploration of pyridine-imine Schiff base ruthenium complexes with systematic substitution (-Br, -OH) and a comparison between simple Ru (II) and Ru(II)-p-cymene architectures. Ligands and their Ru (II) complexes were synthesized and characterized by FT-IR, UV-Vis, 1H NMR, and melting point. Antimicrobial activity was evaluated using agar disc diffusion against both bacterial strains at concentrations ranging from 125 to 1000 µg/mL, with data analyzed using two-way ANOVA and Fisher’s LSD test (α = 0.05). Results showed Ru (II) complexes exhibited significantly higher inhibition than free ligands (p ≤ 0.05), with bromo- and hydroxy-substituted cymene complexes (e.g., L-C2, L1-C2) displaying the strongest activity (up to 14 -15 mm zones). Although all compounds were less potent than gentamycin, the enhanced bioactivity upon metal coordination supports Tweedy’s chelation theory. These findings validate Ru (II)-Schiff base complexes as promising scaffolds for future antimicrobial development, warranting further studies on MIC, toxicity, and antifungal activity. VL - 13 IS - 6 ER -