Synthesis, characterization and antimicrobial screening of a novel organylborate ligand, potassium hydro(phthalyl)(salicylyl)borate and its Co(II), Ni(II), and Cu(II) complexes

A new organylborate ligand, potassium hydro (phthalyl) (salicylyl) borate and its Co(II), Ni(II), and Cu(II) complexes were synthesized. The compounds were characterized by elemental analysis, FTIR, 1H NMR, ESI MS, UV–Vis techniques, molar conductivity and magnetic data measurements. The spectroscopic data support a distorted square planar geometry around the Cu(II) ion, while the Co(II) and Ni(II) ions acquire a distorted octahedral geometry. These synthesised compounds were also tested for their in vitro antimicrobial activities against some bacterial and fungal strains to assess their inhibiting potential and the activities shown by these complexes were compared with standard drugs. Results showed that there is a marked increase in the antibacterial and antifungal activities of the cobalt(II) complex than the free ligand and other complexes when treated against the same microorganism at the same concentration.