Synthesis, Characterization and Antimicrobial Studies of Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II) Complexes of (E)-2-(4-Dimethylbenzydimino)-Glycylglycine, (Glygly-DAB) a Schiff Base Derived from 4-Dimethylaminobenzaldehyde and Glycylglycine

A tridentate Schiff base ligand, (E)-2-(4-dimethylbenzydimino) glycylglycine (glygly-DAB), derived from the condensation of 4-Dimethylaminobenzaldehyde (DAB) and glycylglycine (glygly) together with its Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II) complexes have been synthesized and characterized using various physico-chemical methods including C,H,N elemental analysis, melting point determination, molar conductivity measurement, IR, 1H NMR and UV-Vis. The ligand and metal complexes were screened in vitro for antimicrobial and antifungal activities on four bacterial strains (Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella thyphi and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and two fungal strains (Candida albicans and Cryptococcus neoformans). glygly-DAB showed remarkable antifungal activities on all the fungal strains and antibacterial activities on one bacterial strain.