Synthesis and spectroscopic characterization of transition metal complexes derived from novel benzofuran hydrazone chelating ligand: DNA cleavage studies and antimicrobial activity with special emphasis on antituberculosis

Mononuclear divalent complexes of Co, Ni, Cu and Zn derived from a benzofuran‐based novel hydrazone tridentate ligand were synthesized and characterized using various spectroscopic methods. Elemental analysis reveals that the metal‐to‐ligand ratio is 1:2 which is supported by mass spectrometry results. Conductivity measurements suggest that all the complexes are non‐electrolytic in nature. The ligand and complexes were evaluated for their antimicrobial potency. Bioassay of all hydrazone chelates shows enhanced activity as compared to that of the ligand. The complex with cobalt ion as the metal centre shows better activity against fungi than the standard. Also, ligand and complexes were screened for antituberculosis activity; some analogues (Ni, Cu, Zn) are eight times more active than the standard. Both ligand and complexes show moderate ability to cleave calf thymus DNA. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Mononuclear divalent transition metal complexes derived from a benzofuran‐based novel hydrazone tridentate ligand were synthesized and characterized using various spectroscopic methods. Bioassay of all hydrazone chelates showed enhanced activity over that of the ligand. The antitubercular potency of the complexes was found to be eight times higher than standard. Both ligand and complexes showed moderate ability to cleave calf thymus DNA.