SYNTHESIS, CHARACTERIZATION AND BIOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF BENZIMIDAZOLE DERIVATIVES

Benzimidazoles are an important class of compounds with a wide spectrum of biological activity ranging from anti-hypertensive, antiviral, anti-fungal, antitumor and anthelmintic activity. Benzimidazole rings are the most important nitrogen-containing heterocycles, which are widely explored and utilized by the pharmaceutical industry for drug discovery. Due to their special structural features and electron-rich environment, Benzimidazole containing drugs bind to a variety of therapeutic targets, thereby exhibiting a broad spectrum of bioactivities. Numerous benzimidazole based drugs have been extensively used in the clinic to treat various types of diseases with high therapeutic potential. A series of benzimidazole derivatives were synthesized by a single step process by reacting o-phenylenediamine and benzoic acid. The purity and structure confirmation of the synthesized compounds were done by TLC and H-1-NMR. The compounds were evaluated for anti-microbial, anti-fungal and antioxidant activity.