Synthesis, Crystal Structure and Antibacterial Activities of 4-Methyl-2-(4-methylphenyl)-5-(2-thiazolinyl)-1,3-thiazole

4-Methyl-2-(4-methylphenyl)-5-(2-thiazolinyl)-1,3-thiazole, a novel compound, was synthesized by the annulation of 5-hydroxyethylcarbamoyl-4-methyl-2-(4- methylphenyl)-1,3thiazole with P2S5. 5-Hydroxyethylcarbamoyl-4-methyl-2-(4-methylphenyl)-1,3-thiazole was prepared from the starting material of p-tolunitrile. The newly synthesized compounds were characterized by elemental analysis, IR, NMR (H-1, C-13) and MS spectra. Hence, the crystal of the title compound was obtained, and its structure was determined by X-ray diffraction analysis. The crystal belongs to the triclinic system, space group P (1) over bar with a = 7.354(4), b = 8.383(4), c = 11.543(6) angstrom, alpha = 76.688(6), beta = 72.299(6), gamma = 88.157(6)degrees, V = 659.2(6) angstrom(3), Z = 2, M-r = 274.39, D-c = 1.382 g/cm(3), mu = 0.386 mm(-1), F(000) = 288, R= 0.0586 and wR = 0.1808 for 2984 unique reflections with 2213observed ones (I > 2 sigma(I)). The title compound was also screened for its antibacterial activities against Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli. The result indicates that the target compound presents potential antimicrobial activities, and that the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of the title compound against the two tested strains are both 62.5 mu g/mL.