Preparation and antibacterial activity of new N-salicylideneaniline organomodified Algerian clays

Schiff bases are proved to possess numerous biological activities . Clay minerals on another hand are known for their bio-compatibility and therapeutic properties. The present work aimed to synthetize, characterize and assess the antibacterial activity of two new Clay-Schiff base materials by functionalizing two different types of clay minerals, Montmorillonite (Lalithe) and Palygorskite (Sif Pal) with the N-salicylideneaniline Schiff-base for the formation of the N-Salicylideneaniline modified montmorillonite named HSA- Lalithe and modified palygorskite named HSA- Sif Pal compounds. The new modified materials were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform Infra-Red (FT-IR). The antibacterial activity was evaluated against gram positive bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA+) and gram negative bacteria, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa through the agar dilution method (Muller-Hinton agar, MHA). The results of the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) demonstrated moderate antibacterial activity with the four strains of bacteria. HSA-Lalithe shows a better performance against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa compared to solid HSA- Sif Pal, which could be due to the swelling structure, and or the existence of the HSA Schiff base in the interfoliar space of the Lalithe material.