Published Paper Details:

Schiff bases are important organic compounds containing an azomethine group (-C=N-) formed by the condensation reaction between primary amines and aldehydes or ketones. These compounds possess significant biological activities and have the ability to form stable complexes with transition metal ions such as zinc, copper, nickel, cobalt, and iron. In the present study, a Schiff base was synthesized using benzaldehyde and aniline, followed by preparation of its zinc metal complex. The synthesized compounds were comparatively evaluated for their antimicrobial activity using a bread preservation test. The Schiff base showed moderate inhibition of fungal growth, whereas the metal complex demonstrated enhanced antimicrobial activity and improved bread preservation ability. The increased activity of the metal complex may be attributed to the chelation effect, which enhances lipophilicity and penetration into microbial cells. The study concludes that Schiff base metal complexes possess better antimicrobial potential than free Schiff base ligands and may serve as promising compounds for future antimicrobial applications.