Studies on heavy metal removal efficiency and antibacterial activity of 2-(diphenylphosphino)aminopyridine

Abstract

The solvent extraction of metal picrates such as Ni2+, Cu2+, Co2+, Pb2+ and Cd2+ from the aqueous to the organic phase was studied using 2-(diphenylphosphino)aminopyridine (Ph2PNHpy). The effects of parameters including the pH of the aqueous phase and the ligand solution volume were investigated to determine the extraction ability of the ligand for metal ions. The results showed that the extraction percentages of metal ions were high at low pH values. The antibacterial activity of the aminophosphine was also screened against Escherichia coli (E. coli) ATCC 25922, Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) ATCC 25923, Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato (P. syringae) DC300, Salmonella enterica serotype Typhmurium (S. typhmurium) SL 1344 and Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) ATCC 25175. From the studies of antibacterial activity, it was observed that the ligand exhibited a potent inhibitory effect against all Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria with a diameter of inhibition zone ranging from 3.86 to 18.10 mm. The aminophosphine ligand (Ph2PNHpy) should be considered as a suitable bio-active molecule for antimicrobial material design and next-generation, non-toxic drug fabrication. The Ph2PNHpy obtained may have the potential for use as an antimicrobial additive for bioengineering applications.