Structure-based design of functionalized 2-substituted and 1,2-disubstituted benzimidazole derivatives and their antibacterial efficacy.

The aim of this present study was to synthesize 2-substituted and 1,2-disubstituted benzimidazole derivatives to investigate their diversity for possible future drug design. The structure-based design of precursors 2-(1H-benzimidazol-2-yl)aniline , 2-(3,5-dinitro phenyl)-1H-benzimidazole and 2-benzyl-1H-benzimidazole were achieved by the condensation reaction of -phenylenediamine with anthranilic acid, 3,5-dinitrophenylbenzoic acid, and phenylacetic acid, respectively. The precursors , and , upon reaction with six different electrophile-releasing agents, furnished the corresponding 2-substituted benzimidazole, and 1,2-disubstituted benzimidazole derivatives and , respectively. The structural identity of the targeted compounds was authenticated by elemental analytical data and spectral information from FT-IR, UV, H, and C NMR. The outcome of the findings from the screening unveiled 2-benzyl-1-(phenylsulfonyl)-1H-benzimidazole as the most active derivative with lowest MIC value of 15.63 µg/mL.