Benzohydroxamic Acid and its Applications: a Review

Hydroxamic acids, R-CO-NH-OH, are a group of naturally occurring and synthetic weak organic acids, having numerous applications in such diverse fields as analytical chemistry, agriculture, pest control, nuclear fuel processing, and corrosion inhibition. Hydroxamic acids are studied as inhibitors of enzymes, e.g., peroxidases, urease and as siderophores for Fe(III) in microbes. Several hydroxamic acids have been studied, of which benzohydroxamic acid (R = C6H5) has emerged as a potent metal chelator and an efficient enzyme inhibitor. This review focuses on benzohydroxamic acid (BHA) and its derivatives and their applications as potent metal chelators and also as inhibitors of various biologically important enzymes like ribonucleotide reductase, urease and matrix metalloproteinase, to name a few