Sulfonamide‐derived compounds and their transition metal complexes: synthesis, biological evaluation and X‐ray structure of 4‐bromo‐2‐[( E )‐{4‐[(3,4‐dimethylisoxazol‐5 yl)sulfamoyl]phenyl} iminiomethyl] phenolate

Sulfonamide‐derived new ligands, 4‐({[( E )‐(5‐bromo‐2‐hydroxyphenyl)methylidene]‐amino}methyl)benzenesulfonamide and 4‐bromo‐2‐(( E )‐{4‐[(3,4‐dimethylisoxazol‐5‐yl)sulfamoyl]phenyl}iminiomethyl)phenolate and their transition metal [cobalt(II), copper(II), nickel(II) and zinc(II)] complexes were synthesized and characterized. The nature of bonding and structure of all the synthesized compounds were deduced from physical (magnetic susceptibility and conductivity measurements), spectral (IR, 1 H and 13 C NMR, electronic, mass spectrometry) and analytical (CHN analysis) data. The structure of the ligand, 4‐bromo‐2‐(( E )‐{4‐[(3,4‐dimethylisoxazol‐5‐yl)sulfamoyl]phenyl} iminiomethyl)phenolate was also determined by X‐ray diffraction method. An octahedral geometry was suggested for all the complexes. In order to evaluate the biological activity of the ligands and the effect of metals, the ligands and their metal complexes were screened for in vitro antibacterial, antifungal and cytotoxic activity. The results of these studies revealed that all compounds showed moderate to significant antibacterial activity against one or more bacterial strains and good antifungal activity against various fungal strains. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.