Synthesis and activity of polyacetylene substituted 2-hydroxy acids, esters, and amides against microbes of clinical importance
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Updated: Jun 11, 2026

Synthesis of Esters Via a Greener Steglich Esterification in Acetonitrile
Published on: October 30, 2018
Stella Kyi1, Nalin Wongkattiya, Andrew C Warden
1CSIRO, Molecular and Health Technologies, Clayton South, Vic. 3169, Australia.
Abstract:
A series of novel polyacetylene substituted 2-hydroxy acids and derivatives were prepared and characterized. Alkylation of butane-2,3-diacetal (BDA) protected glycolic acid with iodoalkyl substituted polyacetylene compounds gave the corresponding diacetal protected polyacetylene substituted 2-hydroxy acids. Diacetal deprotection through acid mediated hydrolysis, transesterification or aminolysis afforded the 2-hydroxy-polyacetylenic acid, ester or amide derivatives. Twenty one of these novel compounds were tested against 10 microbes of clinical importance and several of them showed good antimicrobial activity, in particular against Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
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