Diazald, a newly recognized antimicrobial agent and its spectrophotometric determination.

Diazald, a chemical intermediate for the synthesis of biologically active compounds, was found to be a potent in vitro antimicrobial agent against yeasts, yeast-like and filamentous fungi as well as Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains. Its activity is not inhibited by either para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA) or the nitroso group-specific 2-aminothiazole-methoxyimino acetic acid (ATMAA). This suggests that the molecule as such is responsible for the antimicrobial activity. For its quick measurement a sensitive spectrophotometric method has been developed.