Antimicrobial activity of some higher amine salts of carboxylic acids.

Various higher amine salts of dicarboxylic and tricarboxylic acids were prepared and tested for antimicrobial activity in vitro. Although activity was present in all compounds tested, tetradecylammonium malonate showed the greatest activity with the widest spectrum. This compound was effective against gram-negative as well as gram-positive microorganisms, yeast, and fungi.A high order of microbiological activity was demonstrated with various higher amine salts of dicarboxylic and tricarboxylic acids, e.g., tetradecylammonium oxalate, tetradecylammonium citrate, and so forth. Compounds tested exhibited a low order of toxicity.