Fe(III)-montmorillonite catalysed one pot synthesis of 5-substituted dihydropyrimidine derivatives as potent antimicrobial agents

OBJECTIVES: This paper aims to describe the synthesis of a series of novel 5-substituted dihydropyrimidine derivatives using Fe-(III)-montmorillonite as an efficient and reusable catalyst. METHODS: The structures of the synthesized compounds were confirmed by Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and mass spectroscopy methods. The title compounds were screened for antimicrobial activity, and molecular docking studies were conducted. RESULTS: The results revealed that the catalyst significantly enhanced the reaction time and product yield. The antimicrobial activity results indicated that compounds 4c, 4e and 4k exhibited promising antimicrobial activity against the tested microorganisms. CONCLUSION: The catalyst can be recycled at least two to three times without a noticeable decrease in its catalytic activity. The synthesized compounds displayed promising antimicrobial activity.