Post Groebke-Blackburn multicomponent protocol: synthesis of new polyfunctional imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine and imidazo[1,2-a]pyrimidine derivatives as potential antimicrobial agents.

New antimicrobial agents [imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine and imidazo[1,2-a]pyrimidine] have been synthesized. Their antimicrobial activities were conducted against various Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria including Staphylococcus aureus. Compounds 5d, 7a, 10a, 11a and 12a proved to efficiently inhibit the growth of all the Gram-positive and Gram-negative strains investigated. Results of this study showed that the nature of the substituents on the armed phenyl groups determined the extent of the activity of the fused imidazopyridine and/or imidazopyrimidine derivatives. Preliminary structure-activity observations revealed that groups with positive sigma and positive bi values (e.g. 5d, 6c, 12a, 12d) were significantly more active compared to other bioisosteres (e.g. 5b). Furthermore, increasing the molar refractivity of the substitution pattern (e.g. 5b, 6b and 6d) sharply decreased the antibacterial activity.