Synthesis, Characterization, Antimicrobial and DNA Binding Studies of a Tetradentate N2O2 Amino Acid Schiff Base and Its Coordination Compounds

Aminoethanoic acid undergoes condensation with 1,4-benzenedicarboxaldehyde to form an O, N, N, O donor Schiff base, N,N'-di(carboxymethylene) terephthalaldehyde, Ligand L. Coordination compounds of this Schiff base using Ni (II), Cu (II), VO (IV) and Co (II) were then obtained in-situ. The Schiff base and the complexes were evaluated for their antimicrobial and DNA binding abilities. Molecular docking studies of the ligand and synthesized compounds were also carried out. Evidence for the formation of the Schiff base coordination compounds and the coordinating atoms was obtained from 1H NMR, infrared and ultraviolet spectral data, EDX, EDTA complexometric titration and magnetic susceptibility measurement. The results obtained are consistent with octahedral geometry for Ni (II) complex, the metal ion coordinating to one molecule of Ligand L and with additional coordination with two oxygen atoms of two molecules of the solvent. A square-planar geometry was suggested for both Co (II), and Cu (II) complexes and a five-coordinate, square pyramidal geometry for the VO (IV) complex. The results further indicated that the carboxylic acid of Ligand L was not deprotonated both in the free base and also the complexes. In addition, the results showed that Compound 2 elicited the best antimicrobial activity potential. Generally, the compounds exhibited considerable good affinity to CT-DNA.