Antioxidant and antibacterial activity evaluation of 3‐hydroxybenzaldehyde: the product of thymol oxidation by a new magnetic nanocatalyst

Abstract

In this study maghemite nanoparticles were synthesised, they were first coated by sodium alginate and then by chitosan. Then acetanilide was introduced to maghemite nanoparticles that were coated by alginate and chitosan. Finally a silver complex was made with acetanilide and the magnetic nanocatalyst was synthesised. This nanocatalyst was used for the oxidation of thymol, then antioxidant and antibacterial properties of the oxidation product were assessed. Characterisation of this nanocatalyst was performed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffractometer, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and value stream mapping. Creation of the product was confirmed by FT-IR and gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy. According to SEM, the size of the nanocatalyst was in the range of 46–70 nm. 3-hydroxybenzaldehyde was obtained from the oxidation of thymol. It had antioxidant property as evident from Di (phenyl) – (2, 4, 6-trinitrophenyl) iminoazanium and the Folin–Ciocalteu method. Diffusion and dilution methods were used for the evaluation of the antibacterial activity. It was obvious from MIC that gram negative strains were more resistant than gram positive ones, and from minimum bactericidal concentration, it was obvious that Escherichia coli was the most resistant gram negative strain, and Bacillus subtilis was the most resistant gram positive strain.