Abstract
Ni(II), Co(II), Zn(II) and Cd(II) complexes of 3-mercapto-4-phenyl(cyclohexyl)-4H-1,2,4-triazoles were prepared and characterized by elemental analyses and standard spectroscopic techniques. In vitro antimicrobial activity of the complexes was determined against a variety of bacterial (Gram-positive and Gram-negative) and fungal species. While the Ni, Co and Zn complexes exhibited little or no activity against the organisms studied in this work, complexes of both the 4-phenyl 13 and 4-cyclohexyl 12 substituted triazoles were highly active as antifungal agents. Both 12 and 13, while significantly superior to the prototypical antifungal nystatin in inhibiting the growth of Candida albicans and Candida pseudotropicalis, showed equal effectiveness against Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The antibacterial activity of the Cd complexes was better than that observed for any of the other metal complexes, but generally not comparable to that of the reference antibiotic, streptomycin with the exception of the 4-cyclohexyl triazole complex 12, which was equivalent to streptomycin against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli.