Green Solid-State Synthesis of Antibacterial Binary Organic Material: Crystal Growth, Physicochemical Properties, Thermal Study, Antibacterial Activity, and Hirshfeld Surface Analysis

Abstract

The organic compounds 2-aminopyrimidine (AP) and 4-aminobenzoic acid (PABA) were selected for the synthesis of a compound by establishing the phase diagram and adopting the solid-state synthesis method. The phase diagram analysis suggested the formation of a novel intermolecular compound (IMC) at a 1:1 stoichiometric ratio of AP and PABA, along with two eutectics at 0.25 and 0.90 mole fractions of AP. FTIR and NMR spectroscopy were used for the structure elucidation of the intermolecular compound. The powder X-ray diffraction analysis revealed the novel nature of IMC (APPABA) and the mechanical mixture nature of eutectics. The sharp and single peak of the DSC curve suggested the melting and pure nature of the synthesized IMC. Various thermodynamic parameters of IMC and eutectics were studied. A single crystal of the IMC was grown from solution and its single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that it crystallized in a monoclinic system with the P21/n space group. Hirshfeld surface analysis further validated the weak non-covalent interactions summarized through the single-crystal X-ray analysis. Studies on the IMC were thoroughly conducted to evaluate its antibacterial activity with reference to antibiotics, and it showed significant positive responses against various pathogenic microbial isolates (Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella aerogenes, and Shigella boydii) and non-pathogenic microbial isolates (Enterobacter cloacae, Pseudomonas azotoformans, and Burkholderia paludis). It was also found effective against methicillin-resistant bacterial strains viz. Staphylococcus aureus MRSA. © 2025 by the authors.