Electrochemical synthesis and antimicrobial evaluation of some N-phenyl α-amino acids

In the present report, the authors describe a synthetic route for the generation of N-phenyl amino acid derivatives using CO₂via a C-C coupling reaction in an undivided cell containing a combination of Mg-Pt electrodes. The reactions were completed in a short time without the formation of any other side product. The final products were purified via a simple recrystallization procedure. The structures of the newly prepared compounds were established using advanced spectroscopic techniques including ¹H, ¹³C NMR, IR, and ESI-MS. All the prepared derivatives show good-to-excellent activity when tested against bacterial and fungal strains. Interestingly, it was observed that the presence of polar groups (capable of forming H-bonds) such as -OH (4d) and -NO₂ (4e) at the para position of the phenyl ring show activity equivalent to the standard drugs.